SVG or McLaughlin? The numbers behind the Kiwi rivalry of a generation

As a new Kiwi generation readies to take on Supercars, the last featured arguably the two best drivers in the Supercars Championship in the late 2010's.

Backed by the two factory-backed teams in Triple Eight and DJR Team Penske, Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin engaged in fierce battle throughout the 2010's right through to McLaughlin's final season in 2020.

Although van Gisbergen had become a fixture of the Supercars field by the time McLaughlin graduated from Super2 to a full-time ride, the pair had very similar career trajectories.

As such, they were found together on track more often than not, and once they had moved to Triple Eight and DJR Team Penske, they were the pair duelling for championship and Bathurst glory.

As such, the head-to-head numbers make for remarkable reading for the duo, with history showing they were almost inseparable across the eight seasons they went up against one another.

Preface: The wild child becomes the young gun

Van Gisbergen burst onto the Supercars scene midway through the 2007 season, making his debut at Oran Park as part of a Stone Brothers Racing technical deal with Team Kiwi Racing.

Moving to SBR proper in 2008, van Gisbergen developed into a top 10 runner across the next three seasons, and challenged for his first race win at the back end of the 2010 season, most notably on the Gold Coast and in Homebush.

The first win came at home in Hamilton in 2011, and after claiming three straight top-six points finishes from 2010-2012, he appeared set to leave the sport with SBR becoming Erebus' Mercedes program for 2013.

However, amid legal disputes, van Gisbergen would appear on the 2013 grid with Tekno, but there was a new name in town fresh off winning the 2012 Super2 title.

2013-2016: Scotty gives it some jandal, SVG becomes a champion

After impressing renowned talent spotter Garry Rogers in a last-minute substitution role at Homebush in 2012, 19-year-old McLaughlin was handed his full-time opportunity with GRM for 2013.

Both drivers were winners in 2013, however both would star in 2014, with van Gisbergen finishing runner-up to Jamie Whincup in the championship, whilst McLaughlin's star soared with his Adelaide heroics for Volvo.

Another strong campaign for van Gisbergen in 2015 saw him move from Tekno to Triple Eight for the 2016 season, where he duly delivered by clinching his first Supercars crown.

After a 2015 season plagued with engine woes, McLaughlin also delivered a personal best campaign in 2016, finishing third in the standings and the first non-Triple Eight entry.

McLaughlin's efforts attracted the attention of DJR Team Penske who duly swooped on McLaughlin's services for 2017 and beyond, paving the way for an intense rivalry to begin with Triple Eight and van Gisbergen.

2017-2020: Rivalry ignites

Having come up to speed across their first two seasons in Supercars, DJR Team Penske emerged as an absolute powerhouse with McLaughlin in 2017.

McLaughlin claimed an astonishing 16 poles, including a memorable record-breaking Shootout lap at Bathurst, but stumbled at the final hurdle in his quest for his maiden championship win, with Jamie Whincup stealing his seventh crown.

After a disappointing title defence in 2017, van Gisbergen returned with a vengeance in 2018, as he and McLaughlin engaged in a championship battle throughout the season.

The battle reached it's peak in the final two rounds of the season in New Zealand and Newcastle, where both drivers were fighting it out for race wins in their bid for their second championship victories.

At Pukekohe, van Gisbergen got one up on his rival on Saturday, before infamously parking in McLaughlin in victory lane; however McLaughlin got the last laugh in Auckland with a Sunday win.

War was waged on the streets of Newcastle, with van Gisbergen winning a fuel mileage thriller on Saturday over McLaughlin, before being penalised for a pit stop infringement.

An out-of-fuel McLaughlin was promoted to first, paving the way for McLaughlin's championship redemption on Sunday, claiming the title by 71 points over his compatriot.

2019 saw the introduction of the Mustang GT, which proved unstoppable in McLaughlin's hands, the #17 Ford powering to 15 poles and 18 wins (the highest win percentage in any Supercars season), on his way to a crushing title win.

McLaughlin also claimed a long-awaited Bathurst win - overshadowed by controversial orders issued to teammate Fabian Coulthard - with van Gisbergen second on his way to a distant runner-up in the standings.

McLaughlin completed a three-peat in his final year, however van Gisbergen claimed a maiden Bathurst win of his own to kickstart his era of dominance at the end of the COVID-disrupted 2020 season.

The key numbers: van Gisbergen vs McLaughlin, 2013-2020

Yearly head-to-head (races only)*

*Above table only counts races where both drivers finished

What do the numbers tell us?

Whilst key stats such as wins and pole positions are weighed heavily in favour of McLaughlin after his particularly dominant campaigns in 2019 and 2020, and his record-breaking pole run in 2017, the yearly head-to-head paints a different picture.

During McLaughlin's GRM tenure between 2013 and 2016, van Gisbergen had a significant upper hand in his three-year stint at Tekno, which grew even further in his championship-winning debut at Triple Eight in 2016.

However, the pendulum swung even more dramatically back towards McLaughlin once he joined DJR Team Penske, with the current IndyCar star winning the head-to-head for the balance of his Supercars career.

Fittingly, 2018 was the closest-matched season for the duo, a year which saw the pair fight for the championship right up until the final race of the season.

Both drivers finished 223 races between 2013 and 2020, and in a sign of just how evenly matched the two were in Supercars, it was van Gisbergen who led the head-to-head after eight seasons at 113-110.

As for which driver is better? That is a debate that is sure to rage on for years with fans and industry experts alike.