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2016 ITM Auckland 400 Results: Red Bull Rivalry

By Daniel Hall

Jul 7, 2016; Sparta, KY, USA; General view of Good Year tires prior to practice for the Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 7, 2016; Sparta, KY, USA; General view of Good Year tires prior to practice for the Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Shane Van Gisbergen left his home turf with an emotional victory in the 2016 ITM Auckland 400 and one hand on the Supercars championship.

Heading into the 2016 ITM Auckland 400 Shane Van Gisbergen held a decent but not completely safe margin over his Triple Eight teammate Jamie Whincup. Any mistake could draw the six-time champion back into the fight, making this round critical with the fight for the V8 Supercars championship winding down.

Another honor was up for grabs over the weekend: the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, dedicated in honor of the New Zealand born Supercars driver who lost his battle with cancer in 2011. No Kiwi had ever won the prize coming into this weekend, but with Van Gisbergen, Scott McLaughlin, and Fabian Coulthard all hungry to honor their fallen comrade, that was sure to change.

Four 100-kilometer races would be contested over the weekend, with hard tires the only available option for teams. A limited number of tires and parts meant teams would have to play it safe or risk being on the back foot.

There was a lot to play for at the sublime Pukekohe Park Raceway.

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Race 24: The Red Bull show from qualifying translated into the race, with Whincup skipping away from Van Gisbergen off the line. From there, a whole bunch of nothing happened. The only entertainment in this one came from Dale Wood running into almost anything possible. He even hit his boss – Todd Kelly – a few times and then threw him under a bus in the post-race interview.

Whincup won this one ahead of Van Gisbergen, carving a “massive” six points out of the points gap. Scott McLaughling completed a Kiwi 2-3 on the final step of the podium.

Below are the Top 5 finishers for Race 24 at the 2016 ITM Auckland 400:

  1. Jamie Whincup
  2. Shane Van Gisbergen
  3. Scott McLaughlin
  4. Mark Winterbottom
  5. Garth Tander

Race 25: The second race of the weekend was almost as uneventful than the first. It is almost like the series abandoned hard tire sprint races for a reason. The only change in the top five for this one was Mark Winterbottom moving the Falcon up a start from where he started.

Van Gisbergen and Whincup provided the sole highlight early on when they went side-by-side for a half a lap as those watching collectively held their breath. Van Gisbergen prevailed in this chapter of the Red Bull rivalry, nullifying the margin Jamie gained after race 24. At one stage, Shane saw his dad on one of the screens at the track, prompting him to ask “Why is Dad on TV?” That is something I have only been able to do with an episode of Cops.

The two headed to Sunday tied on Jason Richards Memorial trophy points.

Below are the Top 5 finishers for Race 25 at the 2016 ITM Auckland 400:

  1. Shane Van Gisbergen
  2. Jamie Whincup
  3. Chaz Mostert
  4. Fabian Coulthard
  5. Mark Winterbottom

Race 26: The weekend’s third race was the most entertaining. A mixed grid led to things kicking off from the start. Scott Pye got the jump on the front row to move ahead of Van Gisbergen while Winterbottom pulled along side him off the second row. “Frosty,” as Winterbottom is known, looked like he was shot out of a cannon and took the lead by the time they exited turn three.

Whincup and Van Gisbergen found themselves locked together again, this time over second and third after passing both Dick Johnson Racing Fords. Then it happened: Whincup locked the brakes on car No. 88 and speared his teammate. The collision is a case of the two Red Bulls “pulling a Red Bull” as Ben Edwards would say. Van Gisbergen recovered to finish third but Whincup’s championship hopes were dealt a blow with a drive through penalty.

Winterbottom claimed his first win since Perth in May. It made Ford fans remember the good old days of 2015, where Prodrive was a dominating force rather than a quite second best. Second is the best result of Scott Pye’s career.

Below are the Top 5 finishers for Race 26 at the 2016 ITM Auckland 400:

  1. Mark Winterbottom
  2. Scott Pye
  3. Shane Van Gisbergen
  4. Craig Lowndes
  5. Fabian Coulthard

Race 27: Like the first two races, the finale proved to be a bit quiet. Whincup won the race off the start line, sailing into the distance to another Triple Eight 1-2. Van Gisbergen came home second, again, becoming the first New Zealander to win the Jason Richards Trophy. He also has one hand on the championship trophy now.

Below are the Top 5 finishers for Race 27 at the 2016 ITM Auckland 400:

  1. Jamie Whincup
  2. Shane Van Gisbergen
  3. Scott McLaughlin
  4. Chaz Mostert
  5. Mark Winterbottom

Next: The Best of NASCAR at Texas

Van Gisbergen holds a 191-point margin over Whincup with one round remaining. If he finishes fifth in the first race at Sydney, the 2016 Virgin Australia Supercars championship will be his.

He will have to wait, though. The Sydney 500 runs December 2nd-4th.