Greg Murphy: Supercars Kiwis flying

Scott McLaughlin of DJR Team Penske during the CrownBet Darwin Triple Crown. Photo / EDGE Photographic

Opinion

The Kiwis have won 11 out of 12 Supercars races this season.

People are aware of it but I don't know how they feel about it.

As far as the field and the teams are concerned, it is just about winning races and being successful for them. A driver is a driver and they don't care what flag is on the car.

The majority of fans probably don't care. It is just a talking point that the guys that have won 11 of the 12 are from the isles east of Australia.

Their success comes from working hard to get into the strong teams. There is always the desire to be in the position and the car where you can be the absolute best you can.

As it played out, Fabian Coulthard ended up at DJR Team Penske last year and it wasn't so good. He had to be patient and this year, it has moved forward in a big way.

Scott McLaughlin found himself at the end of last year in strong position because of his good performances at Garry Rogers Motorsport.

Shane van Gisbergen has proven himself over the past few years and was rewarded with a drive at the Red Bull Holden Racing Team and we saw what he did with that chance.

It is about your skillset and your ability to drive one of these cars and those three guys are at the top of their game.

Van Gisbergen had a rough weekend by his standards and a first proper failure for a long time.

It is nothing to worry about at this point. He has had an incredible run - 34 races without a DNF is huge and it just goes to show his ability.

What happened at the weekend was an error on Red Bull's part. They were too aggressive on set-up in using too much camber.

He will fight his way back to the front, I have no doubt. Yes, a 170-odd points deficit will make his job a little harder but with the amount of races we have to go, I wouldn't be panicking.

That team knows how to graft. They are having to work hard to stay in touch with Penske, however. It is going to be a great battle this year.