Motorsport: Van Gisbergen wins in Darwin

Young Kiwi race driver Shane van Gisbergen has posted some impressive results this season. Photo / Getty Images

In a master versus apprentice battle, Kiwi youngster Shane van Gisbergen held out veteran Craig Lowndes to claim the Darwin round's second and final V8 Supercars race yesterday

Series leader Jamie Whincup looked home before he was swamped at a re-start after a second safety car with just 10 laps left.

Whincup was left for dead by five cars armed with the faster soft compound tyres at the re-start, with van Gisbergen leading the way.

The young Kiwi held his nerve as Lowndes made his presence known to snare his second career win.

Lowndes has whittled Holden teammate Whincup's series lead down to just 156 points after six rounds.

Whincup - caught on hard tyres when the safety car was called after Karl Reindler speared off - finished sixth.

Ford's Mark Winterbottom - who earlier claimed pole - had to settle for third spot in Sunday's 69-lap race.

It was some consolation after Saturday's pain.

He led for 36 of the 120km race's 42 laps, only to run off the track after a controversial re-start.

For the first time this weekend, teams could use a set of the softer, faster tyres at their discretion during the 200km race.

Second fastest qualifier Whincup opted to start with soft tyres as did Holden's Lee Holdsworth, who was fourth on the grid.

But Holdsworth was the only one who initially benefited after Whincup was inexplicably swamped at the start, dropping as far back as eighth.

While Holdsworth grabbed the lead, Whincup worked his way back to second by the fifth lap - albeit five seconds behind the Holden driver.

But the race changed when all but four drivers pitted after the first safety car was called when Jason Bright's Commodore blew its engine on the 12th lap, dumping oil at the end of the straight.

After the pair changed to hard tyres, Whincup overtook Holdsworth for the lead on the 28th lap.

The lead changed hands as teams juggled fuel, soft tyre and pit stop strategies but Whincup again emerged at the front.

However, everything changed after Reindler came to grief on the 59th lap.

The next round will be held in Townsville from July 8-10.

- AAP