Winton SuperSprint: Cam Waters discovers new-found pace

Cam Waters took full advantage of his Mustang’s package at Winton Motor Raceway, taking out two pole positions and two wins.

Waters took it to the championship leader – Shane van Gisbergen, who was hot on his tracks – preventing him from wiping the field once again.

There were plenty of ups and downs throughout the field, here is what happened at the Winton SuperSprint:

Van Gisbergen stuck in second place

For the most part of the weekend, van Gisbergen was looking at the back of Waters’ Mustang. Despite a few sessions, the Kiwi still proves to be the most consistent driver within the field.

Van Gisbergen took out the opening three-part qualifying session for Race 13, edging Waters by 0.04 seconds.

Yet due to the grid positioning, the Kiwi would start Race 13 on the dirty side of the track. Giving Waters the ultimate chance to take the lead from the moment the lights were out, which he did.

Van Gisbergen was trapped behind Waters for the entire race, getting the gap to as close as two tenths. Albeit, van Gisbergen took out a solid P2 – still a decent haul of points for his championship tally.

The favour was returned in the next race – which Waters had claimed pole position for. Van Gisbergen turned the tables by claiming yet another victory of the season, by over five seconds to Waters in P2.

What a move!

SVG muscles past Waters at Turn 3 to take the effective lead #RepcoSC pic.twitter.com/w1IlpfzmNk

— Supercars (@supercars) May 22, 2022

Race 15 was scarily similar to Race 13, however Waters – who started on pole – kept the lead. The championship leader struggled to find an overtaking chance against Waters. Eventually, he fell short – finishing only 0.45 seconds behind Waters at the chequered flag.

Andre Heimgartner begins to flourish

Heimgartner found himself in the top 10 after every qualifying session throughout the weekend. In doing so, he provided three top 10 finishes.

His best finish was in Race 15, where he claimed his second podium for Brad Jones Racing. During the final race of the weekend, Heimgartner was in P2 momentarily while van Gisbergen made his pit-stop, but struggled to keep his car in front of the Kiwi for the remainder of the race.

Cam converts into Turn 1 again!

Heimgartner pushes past SVG into third ? #RepcoSC pic.twitter.com/3T0QLZDxUP

— Supercars (@supercars) May 22, 2022

Post-race, Heimgartner expressed his happiness, stating he was “over the moon” with the run of results.

“This one was purely on speed, which is nice”, he added.

Heimgartner started P3 and finished P3 in Race 15, completing a significant haul of points across the weekend.

Due to the points gained, Heimgartner moved into P12 in the Drivers’ Championship, where he will undoubtedly aim to progress into the top 10.

More Supercars News:

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Waters takes the cake

Tickford Racing inspired Waters with a competitive package for the Winton SuperSprint and he didn’t disappoint.

Waters took out both qualifying sessions on the Sunday, as well as two out of the three races over the weekend, mounting an incredible championship resurgence.

It took all he had to hold off a charging van Gisbergen in Race 13, defending for majority of the race before taking the chequered flag.

Seven laps to go.

Can Waters hang on? #RepcoSC pic.twitter.com/QumNCz5oiH

— Supercars (@supercars) May 21, 2022

Full of confidence, Waters returned on the Sunday with plenty more in the tank. In doing so, he claimed pole position for the two sprint races, giving him the best chance to take a clean sweep.

In Race 14, he was bested by the championship leader, who had to let him know of his existence. Nonetheless, Waters still declared a challenging P2.

With one race to go, Waters still had more to prove, starting from the front of the grid. Unlike the first two races, he led from start to finish.

Lap 29/36

Waters holds a 3.9s margin. SVG is coming.

Another blockbuster finish is in the offing! #RepcoSC pic.twitter.com/mKvP6xEtvS

— Supercars (@supercars) May 22, 2022

Waters’ resilience was tested throughout the weekend, yet he prevailed. His efforts earned himself P3 in the Drivers’ Championship, only 333 points from the lead and 52 points from P2.

The championship race

Although he was challenged this weekend, van Gisbergen holds onto the championship lead. Several drivers are still well within the hunt for championship glory.

Anton de Pasquale also holds onto P2, after an up and down weekend where he failed to make a podium in any race.

Waters – who was the driver of the weekend – moved into P3 in the Drivers’ Championship. The likes of Will Davidson, David Reynolds and Chaz Mostert remain a large threat.

The Teams’ Championship almost swapped hands, as the Shell V-Power Racing Team almost took the lead – sitting 13 points behind. Perhaps some better results would have granted a lead at the end of the weekend.

Van Gisbergen is currently carrying Red Bull Ampol Racing, holding 1376 of their 1812 points. With no disrespect to Broc Feeney, but his lack of experience is showing within the Teams’ Championship race.

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