Redbull Holden Racing Team 1-2 at Sandown

Kiwi driver Shane van Gisbergen finished second to Jamie Whincup in the Sandown 500 to extend his lead in the V8 Supercars championship on Sunday.

With co-driver and compatriot Earl Bamber on Supercars debut, van Gisbergen's car started from the sixth row of the grid and the pair showed their class to move up the field before Red Bull Holden team-mate Whincup held on by a 6.8sec margin to win the first endurance race of the season in Melbourne.

Craig Lowndes was third and Kiwi Scott McLaughlin fourth, the latter having started from the second row of the grid 19 points behind van Gisbergen in the championship.

Van Gisbergen's lead over McLaughlin increased to 55 points with four rounds remaining, starting with the Bathurst 1000 in three weeks.