TRIPLE Eight Race Engineering will strip its #97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro in a bid to understand the cause of a difficult Darwin Triple Crown for Shane van Gisbergen.
Difficult in relative terms, of course, given van Gisbergen actually accumulated the second-most points for the round, only behind teammate Broc Feeney.
However, many have observed an unsettled SVG of late, and that included his Friday practice at Hidden Valley being a write-off due to steering and throttle response gremlins.
It comes against the backdrop of a highly anticipated NASCAR Cup Series debut on July 2 in Chicago.
In any case, Triple Eight team principal Jamie Whincup stressed van Gisbergen is not out of sorts.
“He’s fine,” Whincup told V8 Sleuth.
“We have got to be careful because he has set the standard so high for himself it’s ridiculous, it’s only human nature – and part of the Australian culture that when someone doesn’t get the results that they normally get then everyone says, ‘what’s going on?’
“SVG hasn’t forgotten how to drive.
“I think there was something not quite right with his car this weekend which we’ll go away and we’ll absolutely pull it to pieces next week to find out exactly why he wasn’t as happy as he normally is.”
Not only had Triple Eight installed a new front clip on the #97 following a Symmons Plains crash last month, the team executed wholesale checks and changes post-practice at Hidden Valley.
Van Gisbergen thanked his crew while reflecting on his weekend.
“I finished my lap (in Qualifying for Race 2) and expected to finish P25 but we qualified third within a tenth, so I need to reflect on that and learn more from the car because it feels like I can be better,” he said.
“In the races, it doesn’t feel like we’re competitive but in reality, we’re fast, so I don’t really understand why that is because it’s a bit of a battle.
“The racing was particularly tough this weekend, especially when you get stuck behind others because the cars get so hot.
“The team has done an awesome job to stick behind me and keep trying stuff with the car.
“We had a lot of problems on Friday and basically lost all our practice sessions, but to come out with second on points for the weekend and for Broc to finish first on points for the event is awesome.
“I haven’t been much help to that side of the garage, so it’s been awesome to get a good team result because we’ve been struggling so much.
“I’m looking forward to Townsville because at least we can have some strategy and try some different things and hopefully the racing is good for everyone to watch.”
Van Gisbergen is fourth in the championship, one place behind Feeney. Erebus Motorsport’s Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown continue to hold a one-two.
