SYDNEY (AP) — NASCAR-bound New Zealander Shane van Ginsbergen has won Australia’s most-prestigious auto race, the Bathurst 1000, for the second straight year and third time overall.
Van Ginsbergen and Kiwi co-driver Richie Stanaway drove their Red Bull Camaro to a 19.9 second win Sunday over Australians Brodie Kosteki and Dave Russell in the 60th anniversary edition of the race on the Mount Panorama circuit. Anton de Pasquale and Tony D’Alberto were third, 33 seconds behind van Ginsbergen.
With the win, Van Ginsbergen cut Kostecki’s overall lead in the Supercars championship to 131 points.
Van Ginsbergen and Stanaway started from sixth on the grid in the Triple Eight Racing car in warm dry conditions on Sunday. Kosteki was on pole position in the Coca-Cola Chevrolet and Depasquale was fifth in a Ford Mustang.
Van Ginsbergen led for most of the second half of the six hour race and had a mostly trouble-free day, though he complained of a soft brake pedal after one pit stop and had a minor steering glitch on the final laps.
He made his last pit stop for gas and tires with 13 laps remaining, went into the pits with a good lead over Kostecki and came out with his lead intact.
Stanaway, who stood on the Bathurst podium for the first time, called the last 60 laps of the race the longest two hours of his life.
“We weren’t the fastest car all week but we worked on the car and Richie did a stellar job,” van Ginsberg said. “I’m really going to miss it. I love this place and I’ll be back.”
The 34-year-old van Ginsbergen became the first driver since 1963 to win on his NASCAR debut when he took out the Grant Park 200 road race in Chicago earlier this year, driving the 91 car for Trackhouse Racing. He also placed 10th over the Indianapolis road course in a race in which Kostecki finished 22nd.
Van Ginsbergen has signed to join Trackhouse full-time next year in all three NASCAR series.
Sunday’s race will likely be his last at Bathurst and he will finish the Supercars season in Australia before heading to the United States.
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