Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!
On the weekend of the 17th and 18th of April, 2021 was the Beaurepaires Tasmania Supersprint.
Marcos Ambrose a Tasmanian native was apart of the broadcast team for Fox Sports.
Neil Crompton who normally chairs the commentary box was sitting in on the hosting panel to fill in for Jess Yates. She and husband, Luke Egan have welcomed another baby into the world. His name is Samuel Lewis Egan and will be little brother to Isabella (7). Congratulations Jess and Luke.
In the lead up to this event all eyes were on Shane Van Gisbergen who has been driving like a bat out of hell since his win in the final event (Bathurst) for last season.
Shane Van Gisbergen took out the trophy for both races at the opening event for this season, The Bathurst 500. He then followed up with a triple win for races 3, 4 and 5 at the Sandown Supersprint.
So everyone was keen to see what he could do at this event. That however may be wishful thinking because this year there is some stiff competition and some very fast cars.
The results for the pre-race sessions were as follows:
- Cameron Waters was fastest in practice 1 and 2
- Shane Van Gibergen was fastest in Armour All Qualifying for race 6
In race 6 Shane Van Gisbergen started on pole position with Cameron Waters alongside him.
At the start of the race Cameron Waters got the jump on Shane Van Gisbergen and led into turn 1 for the first of 44 laps.
Jamie Whincup got up to 2nd on lap 1 but then Shane Van Gisbergen overtook his teammate.
Then after a few laps Shane Van Gisbergen had the lead which was very impressive.
The drivers who were up front stayed out because they had track position and clear air.
Jamie Whincup came in early because he was looking for track position and clear air. It also ensured Shane Van Gisbergen in the lead wouldn’t risk a double stack.
Chaz Mostert was again showing some great driving and up in 5th place.
There were 2 mandatory pit stops so strategy was going to be a big part of getting or maintaining track position.
By the middle of the race Anton de Pasquale was in 3rd position but he didn’t seem to have much hope of catching Shane Van Gisbergen in 1st and Jamie Whincup 2nd.
Shane Van Gisbergen held his lead with confidence to gain his 6th win out of 6 races for the season. Specatacular!
Results for Race 6
1st Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.
2nd Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.
3rd Anton de Pasquale – Dick Johnson Racing.
In race 7 Cameron Waters started on pole position, alongside him was Jamie Whincup.
Cameron Waters led into turn 1 for the first of 44 laps.
When they got to the hairpin turn Jack Le Broq made contact with Anton de Pasquale and was spun round ending up at the back of the pack. Andre Heimgartner and Fabian Coulthard were also caught in the mayhem as the pack round the turn.
Jamie Whincup tried to get by Cameron Waters early on but couldn’t so he had to pit early to get clear air which paid off.
James Courtney had a massive slide on a left bend and ended up shooting across the traffic to the right hand side. He was lucky not to collect the cars following him. He managed to save it all by getting back on track and continue driving.
Chaz Mostert was trying to move up through the field to get near the race leaders but that didn’t happen.
In the middle of the race Jamie Whincup was the race lace leader and looking good for his first win of his final season.
Regardless of Shane Van Gisbergen’s efforts, Jamie held the lead to the finish line with his teammate in tow. I wander if it was any consolation to Shane Van Gisbergen that it was his teammate that broke his winning streak.
Results for Race 7
1st Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.
2nd Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.
3rd Will Davison – Dick Johnson Racing.
In race 8 Cameron Waters started on pole position and alongside was Chaz Mostert.
Zane Goddard qualified on the 2nd row of the grid. Not bad for a rookie when you consider the stiff competition out there.
As the final race for the weekend got underway Chaz Mosert got the jump off the line and pretty much led the entire race accept for pit stops. Early on there cars behind him were chasing him down but Chaz Mostert didn’t want to give up the race lead.
Jack Le Broq came in early to get track position and clear air.
After the mayhem on lap 1 of in the previous race Will Davison cleverly chose to pull back from the battle he was having with Anton de Pasquale.
Jamie Whincup pitted first then Shane Van Gisbergen pitted the lap after.
Chaz Mostert stayed out longer because he was leading the race.
Bryce Fullwood was moving up the order while his teammate Chaz Mostert was up front.
By the middle of the race Shane Van Gibergen seemed relegated to being back in the pack. He and teammate, Jamie Whincup couldnt find the room to move up through the field. As it turned out they each gained only one position by the end of the race.
On the other hand Chaz Mostert seemed to be increasing his lead crossing the finish line more than 10 seconds ahead of Anton de Pasquale in 2nd place. It was an incredible finish.
Results for race 8
1st Chaz Mostert – Walkinshaw Andretti United
2nd Anton de Pasquale – Dick Johnson Racing
3rd Wil Davison – Dick Johnson Racing.
The next event is the OTR Supersprint at the Bend on the 8th and 9th of May 2021.
