Kiwi Supercars ace Shane van Gisbergen has continued his stellar start to 2021, winning a record-equalling sixth straight race with victory at the Tasmania SuperSprint.
Van Gisbergen completed the 44-lap race in 38:39.9333, nearly five seconds faster than the second-placed Jamie Whincup for a Red Bull Ampol Racing one-two finish.
The win sees van Gisbergen move level with Allan Moffat and Mark Skaife with six race wins to start a season.
Australian icon Craig Lowndes holds the overall record for most consecutive wins with eight - set back in 1996 - while van Gisbergen's teammate Whincup claimed seven consecutive wins in 2008.
Provided van Gisbergen can win tomorrow's second race of the weekend, then the Kiwi could look to set a new outright record at Tailem Bend, South Australia on the weekend of May 8-9.
After qualifying in pole position with a lap record time, van Gisbergen was beaten off the line, and had to settle for third place behind Cam Waters, and teammate Whincup to start the race.
But showing the class that's seen him win every race so far in 2021, the Kiwi took the lead on the ninth lap, accelerating out of a hairpin and holding off the advancing Waters on the next corner.
Even an attempted undercut from Whincup couldn't stop van Gisbergen, as the Kiwi's own pitstop went off without a hitch, letting him coast home for the record-equalling win.
Whincup claimed second place, while Anton de Pasquale completed the podium in third.
The win sees van Gisbergen move to 705 points atop the Supercars championship standings, 153 points ahead of second-placed Whincup.
Elsewhere, it was a day to forget for the rest of Supercars' Kiwi contingent, with Fabian Coulthard finishing 21st and Andre Heimgartner 22nd.
