Van Gisbergen wins Phillip Island thriller
Shane van Gisbergen held off Anton De Pasquale in a thrilling opening race of the eighth Supercars All Stars Eseries round at Phillip Island.
The two regular front-runners picked up a battle that's been running for several weeks now, van Gisbergen leading across the first stint with De Pasquale biding his time in second place.
Chaz Mostert did briefly get the jump on van Gisbergen around the stops, the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver stopping early and taking the effective lead when the Kiwi emerged from his Lap 5 stop.
Van Gisbergen was immediately able to reclaim top spot at Honda, De Pasquale then dropping back into second when he stopped a lap later.
The pair then staged a thrilling battle across the next six laps, culminating in a close call at Lukey Heights on the final lap when De Pasquale locked his rear wheels.
He managed to avoid tagging van Gisbergen, though, the pair separated by six-tenths as the Red Bull Holden driver took his fourth consecutive win.
Mostert finished third from Tickford pair Lee Holdsworth and Cam Waters.
Title contender Scott McLaughlin finished down in ninth after a mid-race clash with Fawzan El-Nabi, a fan competition winner.
El-Nabi, an experienced sim racer, had taken pole for the Phillip Island race but ended up back in the pack on the opening lap courtesy of a poor start.
He worked his way back into effective fifth behind McLaughlin, before running the Bathurst winner off the road at Honda.
The Penske Ford fought back to the Top 10, while El-Nabi was hit with a drive-through and finished in 16th.

Previous article
F1 stars Verstappen and Norris team up for virtual Le Mans bid
Next article
De Pasquale, van Gisbergen share Brazil spoils

About this article
Series | Supercars , Esports |
Drivers | Shane van Gisbergen |
Teams | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
Author | Andrew van Leeuwen |
Van Gisbergen wins Phillip Island thriller
How an unlikely tie-up won sim racing's biggest prize
An unlikely partnership between World Endurance Championship LMP1 privateers Rebellion Racing and Williams Formula 1's highly-successful sim racing team yielded victory in the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual. Here's how it triumphed in the biggest sim race ever staged
How seriously should Esports be taken?
As interest in Esports has increased during the coronavirus lockdown, the lines have become blurred between what's real and what's virtual - especially when some high-profile participants seem to be playing for laughs, says Luke Smith
Why Abt's deception left Audi with no choice
Daniel Abt's suspension by the Audi Formula E team - and possible loss of his drive - for fielding a ringer in an Esports event could be considered an overreaction. But in a wider context, his employers had little other alternative
How Leclerc is embracing his new mission
The emergence of Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc as a Twitch streaming star has been one of the pleasant surprises of lockdown so far. He says it is giving fans a greater insight into his nature, but that's not his primary purpose
Leclerc's Virtual GP annihilation deserves great credit
The introduction of Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, George Russell and Antonio Giovinazzi to Formula 1's Virtual GP last weekend meant it was a step above the franchise's debut two weeks ago. But a dominant performance from Esports newcomer Leclerc stole the show
How the hidden side of being fast has been exposed
The lack of real track action so far this year hasn't stop drivers from keeping their racing brains 'fresh', as former F1 star Stoffel Vandoorne suggested last weekend.
Why entertainment isn't Esports greatest virtue right now
MotoGP's virtual #StayAtHomeGP was a sad reminder of some of the storylines that could be unfolding had the real-life season not been delayed indefinitely by the coronavirus pandemic. While we can bemoan Esports as being a poor relation of the real thing, it has an even more important function to perform
F1’s pantomime Virtual GP is fun but unsustainable
F1 Esports' inaugural Virtual Grand Prix last weekend provided brilliant entertainment to those tuning in to watch a mix of F1 drivers and celebrities battle on track, but was a missed opportunity for marketing its own Esports stars. A change of approach is needed if it is to successfully fill the void until the resumption of proper racing