Supercars’ man of the moment Shane van Gisbergen has continued his golden run by claiming pole for Sunday’s two sprint races at Sandown.
After pulling off one of the greatest wins in modern Australian touring car history on Saturday, the Red Bull Ampol star handled back-to-back qualifying sessions in slippery conditions to perfection.
A sore van Gisbergen underwent surgery on a broken collarbone two weeks ago but the pain is not affecting his driving.
He brought up his 34th and 35th career pole by finishing in front of teammate Jamie Whincup in both qualifying sessions.
“(The car) was awesome to drive. I could tell coming out that we had plenty of grip and Jamie was on me as well,” van Gisbergen said.
“Normally I don’t like the rain but today it’s not a bad thing.”
Van Gisbergen was touch-and-go to drive this weekend after injuring himself in a mountain biking accident earlier this month.
After snatching an early championship lead with back-to-back wins at the season-opening event at Bathurst, van Gisbergen maintains a perfect 2021 record after extending his title advantage to 60 points.
In a jaw-dropping performance on Saturday, the New Zealander made up a record-breaking 16 places on the grid to claim his 43rd career win.
The reigning Bathurst 1000 champion smashed a 56-year-old record for the lowest position on the grid to take the chequered flag at the Melbourne track.
Van Gisbergen shot past Ford’s Cameron Waters and pole-sitter Chaz Mostert in a race being hailed as an instant classic.
Sunday’s first 36-lap race gets underway at 1.30pm, with the second commencing at 4.30pm.