Event Recap: 2018 Supercars Championship from Adelaide 500, Race #1 (March 3, 2018)

Event statistics following the first race of the 2018 Supercars Championship season, Race #1 of the Adelaide 500 at the Adelaide Grand Prix Circuit in South Australia.

Shane van Gisbergen won the opener, leading 44 of the 78 laps to lead James Courtney to the checkered flag by just over a second. Rounding out the podium was Scott McLaughlin.

Race Statistics

Adelaide 500 (Race #1)

Adelaide Grand Prix Circuit – Adelaide, South Australia

- Winner (starting position): Shane van Gisbergen (1st)

- Top Five: Shane van Gisbergen, James Courtney, Scott McLaughlin, David Reynolds, Mark Winterbottom

- Full Results: Shane van Gisbergen, James Courtney, Scott McLaughlin, David Reynolds, Mark Winterbottom, Jamie Whincup, Chaz Mostert, Will Davison, Craig Lowndes, Scott Pye, Garth Tander, Nick Percat, Lee Holdsworth, Tim Slade, Michael Caruso, Cameron Waters, Andre Heimgartner, Simona de Silvestro, Anton de Pasquale, Jack LeBrocq, Fabian Coulthard, Todd Hazelwood, Rick Kelly, Richie Stanaway, Tim Blanchard, James Golding

- Laps Completed: 78

- Laps Led: Shane van Gisbergen (44), James Courtney (16), Scott McLaughlin (10), Cameron Waters (5), David Reynolds (1), Craig Lowndes (1), Michael Caruso (1)

- Pole Position: Shane van Gisbergen (79.830 seconds)

- Hard Charger: Craig Lowndes (+6; 15th to 9th)

- Margin of Victory: 1.222 seconds

- Car Count: 26

- Cars Entered: 26

- Cars Running at Finish: 23 (of 26; or 88 percent of the field)

- Drivers to Finish on Lead Lap: 18

- Cautions: 3 for 7 laps

- Average Speed: 129.523 kph/80.482 mph

- Lead Changes: 11 between 7 drivers

- Manufacturer Breakdown: Holden (14); Ford (8); Nissan (4)

Notes of Interest – Race/Weekend Recap

- This is Shane van Gisbergen’s first Supercars Championship victory of the season and the 25th of his career. He is five behind Dick Johnson for 10th all-time.

- Van Gisbergen has won at least one race in each of the last six seasons and seven of the last eight.

- This is van Gisbergen’s fourth series victory at Adelaide and third straight. He won the second race of the 2013 season and swept the 2017 races, both from the pole position. Each of his four Adelaide wins has come from the pole.

- In fact, 10 of van Gisbergen’s 25 victories have come from the pole.

- Van Gisbergen has led 166 laps at Adelaide in 24 career races. His 44 laps led in Saturday’s contest was the most in a single race he’s led at Adelaide, and the most he’s led in a race since the 2016 Race #1 at Queensland.

- Van Gisbergen’s pole position was his 19th of his career. He’s earned at least one pole position in each of the last six seasons.

- Holden extended its consecutive victory total at Adelaide to 14, having won every race at the track since first race of 2013. Overall, Holden has won 28 of the 41 Supercars Championship races at Adelaide.

- James Courtney finished second, in a Holden 1-2 finish. It marked Courtney’s 65th career podium finish, and the 13th consecutive season he’s earned at least one podium. He only scored one podium in 2017, despite competing in 25 of 26 races.

- Courtney’s second-place finish was his fifth runner-up effort at Adelaide and 11th podium at the track.

- Scott McLaughlin finished third in the highest-running Ford. It was McLaughlin’s 43rd career podium in 167 races, giving him a podium in 25.7 percent of the races he’s run in the series. It also marked his third podium at Adelaide in 14 races.

- David Reynolds finished fourth, his career-best finish at the track and second career top-five finish at Adelaide.

- Mark Winterbottom rounded out the top-five, his 11th top-five finish at Adelaide.

- Defending series champion Jamie Whincup was sixth, his third consecutive at the track.

- Michael Caruso drove the highest-finishing Nissan to a 15th-place effort.

- Simona de Silvestro finished 18th, driving the final car to finish on the lead lap.

- Anton de Pasquale finished 19th in his series debut. He was the only driver competing in the series for the first time.

- In his 350th career race, Fabian Coulthard finished 21st.

- A total of 12 drivers improved on their starting position in the race.

- The next race will be Sunday, March 4, with Race #2 of the Adelaide 500.