Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane Van Gisbergen

Van Gisbergen on the 2011 Sydney 500 podium.
Nationality New Zealand
Born (1989-05-09) 9 May 1989
Auckland
V8 Supercar Record
Car number 97
Current team Triple Eight Race Engineering
Series championships 0
Races 274
Race wins 11
Podium finishes 48
Pole positions 9
2015 Championship position 4th (2712 pts)

Shane Van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989) is a professional motor racing driver from Auckland, New Zealand. Van Gisbergen currently drives the #97 Holden VF Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineering in the Australian-based International V8 Supercars Championship and for Team4 in the New Zealand-based BNT NZ Supertourers's Hankook Super Series. Van Gisbergen has also forged a successful GT career, including multiple entries in the 24 Hours of Daytona for Alex Job Racing and competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series with Von Ryan Racing. Van Gisbergen, with Álvaro Parente and Jonathon Webb, also won the 2016 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour for Tekno Autosports.[1]

New Zealand racing history

After competing in Motocross, Quarter Midgets and karts from 1998 to 2004, Van Gisbergen placed third in the 2004/2005 New Zealand Formula First Championship and won the associated Rookie of the Year award.[2] Van Gisbergen had previously obtained a Speedsport Star of Tomorrow Scholarship. A win in the 2005/06 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship was accompanied by another Rookie of the Year title and was followed by a second-place finish in the 2006/07 Toyota Racing Series.[2]

In 2014, Shane co-drove to the BNT NZ Supertourers Hankook Super Series championship with primary driver Simon Black. Shane won 7 of the 9 races in total of the Endurance rounds including sweeping the entire Fuchs 500 weekend at Pukekohe Park Raceway with winning race #3 in spectacular fashion driving from 1 lap down.[3]

V8 Supercars

Van Gisbergen became the 200th driver to start a race in a V8 Supercar at the Jim Beam 400 at Oran Park Raceway in Round 8 of 2007. Driving for Team Kiwi Racing, Van Gisbergen finished the first race in 20th position before improving to 13th for race 2 but then dropped down to 23rd in race 3. Having impressed in his 2007 races, Van Gisbergen was picked up by Stone Brothers Racing in 2008. He would continue with the team for five seasons until 2012, securing a best of fourth in the championship in 2011. In late 2012, he announced a retirement from V8 Supercars, before controversially moving to Tekno Autosports for the start of the 2013 season. The move to Tekno proved fruitful, with Van Gisbergen finishing runner-up in the championship in 2014.

In 2016, Van Gisbergen will move to the successful Triple Eight Race Engineering team, alongside two of the most successful drivers in series history, Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes.

Van Gisbergen has also shown strong pace at the series' most famous race, the Bathurst 1000. He was in the lead in the 2009 Bathurst 1000 until pitting on lap 108 when his car would not start, resulting in a 1:14 pit stop and losing him a number of positions in the race. A near-identical issue repeated itself in the 2014 edition, where - with 10 laps to go - he stalled and the starter motor failed, costing him almost certain victory. Van Gisbergen had started the 2014 race from pole position, his first at the event.

GT racing

Through his connections with Tekno Autosports sponsor Tony Quinn, Van Gisbergen's first foray into GT racing was a guest co-drive in Quinn's team in the 2013 Australian GT Championship. In 2014, he entered both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Bathurst 12 Hour for the first time, the latter again in partnership with Quinn, this time in a McLaren. His Daytona entry was with Alex Job Racing, where he finished 26th overall and sixth in the GTD class. He returned to Daytona in 2015 and 2016 with the team. Having impressed in previous outings, in 2015 he entered the Blancpain Endurance Series in a McLaren 650S GT3 run by Von Ryan Racing. Racing in conjunction with his V8 Supercars commitments, he was forced to miss one round due to a date clash, however achieved two victories in the four races he entered. The team was dissolved after the 2015 season. Through his McLaren and Tekno Autosports connections, he drove one of Tekno's factory-supported McLaren 650S GT3s at the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour. In qualifying on Saturday, Van Gisbergen set the fastest ever officially recorded lap of the Mount Panorama Circuit to achieve pole position.[4] He went on to set the fastest ever race lap on the way to securing victory alongside Álvaro Parente and Jonathon Webb.[1]

Career results

Season Series Position Car Team
2004/05 New Zealand Formula First Championship 3rd
2005/06 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship 1st Stealth Evo 2
2006/07 Toyota Racing Series 2nd Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota International Motorsport
2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series 43rd Ford BF Falcon Team Kiwi Racing
2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series 15th Ford BF Falcon Stone Brothers Racing
2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series 12th Ford FG Falcon Stone Brothers Racing
2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series 6th Ford FG Falcon Stone Brothers Racing
2011 International V8 Supercars Championship 4th Ford FG Falcon Stone Brothers Racing
2012 International V8 Supercars Championship 6th Ford FG Falcon Stone Brothers Racing
2013 Australian GT Championship 16th Porsche 997 GT3 R VIP Petfoods Racing
2013 V8SuperTourer 3rd Ford FG Falcon MPC Motorsport
2013 International V8 Supercars Championship 5th Holden VF Commodore Tekno Autosports
2014 International V8 Supercars Championship 2nd Holden VF Commodore Tekno Autosports
2015 International V8 Supercars Championship 4th Holden VF Commodore Tekno Autosports
2015 Australian GT Championship 21st McLaren 650S GT3 Keltic Racing

Complete Blancpain Endurance Series results

Year Entrant Class Chassis 1 2 3 4 5 Rank Points
2015 Von Ryan Racing Pro McLaren 650S GT3 MON
15
SIL
1
PAU SPA
29
NUR
1
4th 54

* Season still in progress.

Gallery

References

External links

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