Shane van Gisbergen’s miracle NASCAR win completes the creation of a second dimension for Supercars. It is no longer just a destination category. It can be a pathway as well.
The series has always enjoyed a healthy notoriety outside of Australia and New Zealand, largely thanks to the spectacle that is the Bathurst 1000. At least once a year, better-than-casual motorsport viewers around the globe tune in for their glimpse of how loud and unruly the cars are. And how close the racing is. And how much the odd international driver that dares to dip their toe in the water, seemingly regardless of how decorated they are, will struggle to come to terms with getting the best out of these V8-powered monsters with their skinny tyres, locked diff and right-foot braking demand.
