“There’s no way he can run this weekend,” Skaife remarked to commentator Neil Crompton as they stood at the end of the pit lane in Sandown, analyzing the star’s condition. of the Triple Eight.

It was Saturday morning’s practice countdown for Round 2 of the Supercars Championship on a foggy Sandown circuit in March of this year.

Just two weeks earlier, van Gisbergen had undergone surgery to insert a plate and nine screws into his shattered collarbone after a mountain biking accident.

He damaged the AC joint, tore ligaments and also suffered broken ribs in the bicycle accident.

After back-to-back wins in the season opener Bathurst 500, it was an accident that threatened to dampen van Gisbergen’s championship charge almost as soon as it started.

Had the New Zealand rider been forced to miss the round at Sandown, it could have put a serious blow to the championship favorite’s 2021 title hopes, or worse yet, caused them to lose.

But van Gisbergen did not expect it.

He only had two weeks to prepare to race – and potentially save his season.

Pushing through the pain after surgery, van Gisbergen visited a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to promote healing and sought advice from Dakar rally star Toby Price and motocross racer Chad Reed – both with extensive injury experience. brutal racing – on his recovery.

Defying the expectations of most people – including those of Skaife – van Gisbergen not only reached the starting grid at Sandown, he put in a masterful performance to clinch a clear draw with victories in all three races of sprint to extend his lead in the championship.

“Not only did he run, but he came out and beat them all,” said the great Supercars Skaife.

“It was just amazing.”

Triple Eight boss Roland Dane saw the work it took to put a van Gisbergen on track for the second round, but even he was blown away by the scale of his exploits at Sandown .

“It shows how dedicated he was when he made a mistake and injured himself during a drill,” said Dane.

“Then he worked very smartly with the team and the medical staff around him to make sure he maximized the opportunity to get back in the car.

“He did a great job at Sandown, which was unexpected for him and for everyone.”

REGISTRATION

After producing one of the big injury comebacks, van Gisbergen didn’t stop there.

The 2016 Supercars champion won the first race at Symmons Plains in Launceston in the next round to extend his unbeaten streak to six races and tie the most successful Supercar season start in history alongside Skaife (1994) and Allan Moffat (1977).

“It should probably be considered one of the most dominant performances to start the season that we have ever seen,” said Skaife.

“I think everyone predicted he was going to come out really strong but no one would have predicted the level of dominance he would have displayed.

“I guess in the context, especially around his mountain bike accident and having a broken collarbone and three broken ribs and doing what he did was just amazing.

“It should be considered one of the best start to the season in history.”

Van Gisbergen’s teammate – seven-time Supercars champion and future team boss Jamie Whincup – ended his unbeaten charge in the second race in Tasmania.

Since then, van Gisbergen has picked up five more wins to build a 276-point championship lead over Whincup.

In total, the defending Bathurst 1000 champion won 11 of 19 races held this year before Covid forced the Supercars to a three-month mid-season hiatus.

Skaife said van Gisbergen is better now than when he won his first title in 2016 and his form matched that of all the greats in the sport at the peak of their careers.

“I think his raw speed has always been there,” Skaife said.

“But as you get a little older and have covered more miles and seen more things and encounter more racing circumstances – what van Gisbergen is up to now is absolutely the best he’s ever had. performed and arguably as good as any dominant player throughout Supercar history or the Australian Touring Car Championship.

Dane agreed that van Gisbergen, 32, was at the peak of his racing abilities.

“He’s definitely in the sweet spot and it could be a long lasting sweet spot. I certainly hope so, ”said Dane.

“He’s got the right combination of experience and speed and he’s always hungry.

“He’s probably fitter than he’s ever been and those things combine to have him in a really good space right now.

“His life is clean and all he wants is to drive race cars and win races.”

THE HOT QUESTION

As brilliant as van Gisbergen’s performances were, a question arose in the background: Would he have been so dominant if Scott McLaughlin was still around?

McLaughlin, of course, is the three-time Supercar champion turned IndyCar Rookie of the Year, who moved to the United States late last year after sweeping everything before him in V8.

It’s a question Skaife thought about a lot, but it was ultimately the sport’s defeat to miss a van Gisbergen battle against McLaughlin this year.

“It’s a question we just don’t know about. I thought about it a lot, ”Skaife said.

“I actually think at the end of last year the Shell V Power Mustangs weren’t quite as good as Scott made them look.

“So even in Bathurst, if you think of their raw pace (McLaughlin) versus Shane or Cam Waters, at the end of the race last year they just weren’t fast enough.

“I guess when you ask that question of what that would have looked like, it’s a fascinating question. But I’m sorry, we’re not going to be able to answer it.

“We are robbed of seeing a McLaughlin and van Gisbergen battle.”

Van Gisbergen finished second behind McLaughlin in 2018 and 2019 and third behind McLaughlin and Waters in last year’s championship fight.

Dane predicted that the battle would have been close between the two Kiwi aces.

“Definitely, the performance of the DJR cars would be closer to us,” Dane said.

“I think he (van Gisbergen) would still win a lot of races and Scotty MC would also be in the mix, they would be running strong against each other.

“Scotty was definitely a force to be reckoned with so he would have been in the mix as well, that’s all you can say for sure.”

For his part, looking across the Pacific, McLaughlin said van Gisbergen was in “a league of their own right now”.

“It will be interesting to see how everyone comes back from the break,” said McLaughlin.

“But if things stay the same in terms of pace and everyone’s position, I think there won’t be any stopping for Shane because I think Jamie has already checked.”

FUTURE FORCE

Van Gisbergen quietly extended his contract with Triple Eight until the end of 2023 last summer, which in some ways speaks to his personality.

You won’t see or hear much self-promotion from the shy van Gisbergen, who never coveted the celebrity side of the sport. He just wants to race cars.

“He recognizes that some of the interactions outside of the team, outside of the car are a necessary part of the job – but it’s not his favorite part,” said Dane.

“Some drivers are very happy to be everywhere on TV or in the media or whatever, whether it’s Supercars or any form of motorsport.

“But others prefer to keep a low profile out of the car and Shane is one of them. He is still very engaged with the team and always has been.

“He’s naturally a bit shy and doesn’t always come out of his shell if he’s not completely comfortable.”

Whincup’s impending retirement from full-time driving will further shine the spotlight on van Gisbergen as team leader at Triple Eight, who has recruited teenager Broc Feeney to replace the seven-time champion.

But Skaife doesn’t expect van Gisbergen’s track powers to wane anytime soon.

“I think it’s a scary prospect for everyone because when you think about how good he is, I can’t see him fall right now,” Skaife said.

“It will only be his own motivation.

“Gen 3 is coming and I actually think with reduced downforce and some of the things that we talk about with Gen 3, he’s probably going to be better compared to the pack.

“When you drive as well as you are at this point in your career, it will take a very organized team with very good drivers to come and bring it to you.”