Tander chalked up his fifth Bathurst 1000 win and his second alongside van Gisbergen, including to their 2020 win, because the pair combined to largely dominate Supercars’ showpiece event last Sunday.
Van Gisbergen’s second Nice Race triumph arrived per week after finishing on the WRC2 podium and scoring points on his World Rally Championship debut at Rally New Zealand.
The Mount Panorama victory can be the New Zealander’s nineteenth win of the Supercars season breaking the record of most wins in a season that was previously set by his fellow compatriot and three-time Supercars champion McLaughlin.
Working carefully with van Gisbergen, Tander says he has been massively impressed and privileged to share a automotive with the 2022 Supercars champion elect.
“I stated to him [Shane] ‘it’s a cheap week for you when you concentrate on it. You scored factors and completed inside the highest 10 in WRC’, and 7 days later he delivered what he did [at Bathurst],” stated Tander.
“I stated to Shane after the Pukekohe outcome that I’d by no means blow smoke up his arse, however it’s going okay in the meanwhile, it’s laborious to not [at the moment].
“I really feel very privileged to get shut and see the info and be with him and see how he goes about it. I’m an previous bastard however I’m nonetheless getting a possibility to study lots.”
For Tander, this newest Bathurst 1000 success attracts him stage with the Steven Richards on the all-time Nice Race winners listing. Solely Peter Brock (9), Jim Richards, Craig Lowndes (7) and Larry Perkins and Mark Skaife (6) have scored extra wins.
Tander says final Sunday’s success unusually triggered feelings for him post-race upon realising the enormity of what he had achieved. The West Australian has stood on the highest step of the rostrum on the Bathurst 1000 in 2000, 2009, 2011, 2020 and 2022.
“I’ve by no means actually been emotional after a race however that was fairly emotional, simply the realisation that 5 is a reasonably critical quantity to have had success right here,” he added.
“I knew that the automotive, the crew and Shane could be distinctive right here. I used to be decided to not be the weakest hyperlink within the crew, so I went actually actually laborious within the lead as much as this one and I used to be fairly happy with the way in which that center stint went and I used to be capable of contribute in a small approach.
Tander additionally felt he was capable of contribute extra to this win in comparison with his final as co-driver with van Gisbergen in 2020.
“I used to be simply in control early,” he defined. “That center stint and simply with the ability to open up a spot and provides the crew flexibility on technique and never being boxed in, that was actually my aim.
“We received ourselves again to the lead after the pit cease penalty to open up most flexibility so it was not simply going the automotive again within the lead, however again within the lead with loads of choices for the crew. That was fairly satisfying.”
Tander is but to decide to returning to Mount Panorama subsequent 12 months for a crack at a sixth Bathurst 1000 crown.
