Shane van Gisbergen wins the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight and is the 2021 Champion elect and will be crowned at Bathurst in 2 weeks. Photo / Supplied
Shane van Gisbergen wins the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight and is the 2021 Champion elect and will be crowned at Bathurst in 2 weeks. Photo / Supplied
Shane van Gisbergen has won his second Supercars title after today's race in Sydney was declared a non-event due to heavy rain.
Inclement weather lashed Sydney Motorsport Park in what was scheduled to be Race 30 of the season and the final race of the Championship's four-week stint in the Harbour City.
With no result declared, champion-elect van Gisbergen clinched his second drivers' championship, and first since 2016, with a race to spare.
It puts him in the history books as the 14th driver in ATCC/Supercars history to win two or more titles.
Just 25 men in over 60 years of championship seasons have won the drivers' title. Today's 64-lap 250km race start was delayed 15 minutes and commenced behind the safety car.
Cars circulated for five laps before the race was red-flagged, with the safety car leading the 24-car field into the pit lane.
The race was suspended, then abandoned 40 minutes later, with no points awarded. Points can only be awarded if at least half a race has been completed.
It puts him in the history books as the 14th driver in ATCC/Supercars history to win two or more titles. Photo / Supplied
As a result, van Gisbergen remains on 2828 points and will carry an unassailable 349-point lead over Red Bull Ampol Racing teammate Jamie Whincup into the season-ending Bathurst 1000 in two weeks.
Bathurst is worth double or triple points compared with all the other races, with victory earning 300 points.
Van Gisbergen will be awarded the Supercars trophy at Bathurst.
"It sucks we couldn't put on a show, but it's been an awesome time and super cool to win another championship, over the moon," said van Gisbergen.
"We haven't been fast enough but we've got the results and been consistent — less mistakes than others.
"We had one bad race, but the rest of them, we were always up there. I can't thank the team enough.
Inclement weather lashed Sydney Motorsport Park in what was scheduled to be Race 30 of the season. Photo / Supplied
"It's been an awesome season. Our cars have been really strong almost everywhere. Just super stoked."
Van Gisbergen won the drivers' championship on his first attempt as a Triple Eight driver in 2016.
Five years of near misses and finishing behind countryman Scott McLaughlin followed, with the 32-year-old runner-up in 2018 and 2019.
Van Gisbergen went to another level in 2021, winning the first six races of the season and 14 in total, becoming just the sixth driver to win at least that many races in one year.
His consistency is a key to his success, with six seconds and three thirds also secured — there have been only six races in which he failed to make the podium.
