5 Mar 2017

Van Gisbergen the man to beat, again

7:00 am on 5 March 2017

Defending series champion Shane van Gisbergen has picked up where he left off last year, claiming victory in the Supercars season opener in Adelaide on Saturday.

Shane van Gisbergen during practice at Sydney Olympic Park.

Shane van Gisbergen during practice at Sydney Olympic Park. Photo: Photosport

Starting on pole, the Red Bull Holden Racing driver finished almost 15 seconds ahead of Ford's Fabian Coulthard with Holden's James Courtney third in sweltering conditions on the tough 3.2km street circuit.

Flying Kiwi Van Gisbergen broke teammate Jamie Whincup's race lap record of one minute, 21.05 seconds on his way to victory in the scorching 78-lap race.

It was the 20th career win for SVG.

The opening round concludes with a second 250km race on Sunday afternoon.