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Supercars champ happy with busy schedule

Ed JacksonAAP
Shane van Gisbergen is thriving on a busy schedule ahead of the latest Supercars' round in Victoria.
Camera IconShane van Gisbergen is thriving on a busy schedule ahead of the latest Supercars' round in Victoria. Credit: AAP

Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen is proving you can never have enough of a good thing with this weekend's Winton SuperSprint just part of a packed racing schedule.

After coming away from the Perth SuperSprint event at the start of the month with an extended championship lead, the trip to regional Victoria comes in between last weekend's Bathurst 12 Hour race and a trip to France for the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Having had his scheduled debut at Le Mans in 2020 wrecked by the COVID-19 pandemic, van Gisbergen is making the most of the opportunities to extend his racing beyond Supercars events.

"It's just cool to be in race cars every week," the New Zealander told AAP.

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"It's been been a lot of fun.

"We were not the fastest at the 12 Hour but it was still a good race to be a part of.

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"Then after this week off to Europe for Le Mans and stuff like that, so plenty of racing which is cool."

This weekend's trip to Benalla will be Supercars' first since 2019, when Scott McLaughlin swept the event with two race wins on his way to the second of his three titles before departing for America's IndyCar series.

Van Gisbergen's triumph at the circuit in 2017 was both Red Bull Ampol Racing and Holden's last success there.

With little time to adjust in a two-day program, van Gisbergen knows he'll have to be right up to speed with several of his rivals including Holden's Chaz Mostert and Tickford Racing's Cam Waters enjoying a test day at the track earlier this month.

"It does make it harder," van Gisbergen said.

"You end up doing a few more laps in practice trying to re-learn the track and learn what the track needs to be fast and stuff.

"Perth was the same for everyone but here people obviously tested last week so we'll see what difference it makes."

The Winton SuperSprint begins on Saturday with a 36-lap race in the afternoon before two 36-lap races on Sunday.

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