Van Gisbergen Farewell Race: The three-time Super Cars champion Shane van Gisbergen is gearing up for his last race in New Zealand before heading to the United States to join the NASCAR circuit the following month.
In honor of the club’s tenth anniversary, Van Gisbergen will participate in Highlands Motorsport’s inaugural six-hour endurance event this coming weekend. Reflecting on his experience, he expressed his enthusiasm for the unique challenge: “It’s amazing when you nail a lap here it’s a pretty cool feeling.”
This event holds particular significance as it’s his first race in Central Otago since 2017 and is likely to be his last in New Zealand for a while, given his upcoming move to NASCAR. In August, he confirmed his transition from Supercars to NASCAR, describing the future as “exciting” but challenging. “It’s gonna be a challenge, something different. Doing the ovals, some road courses, living in a different part of the world,” he said.
During Sunday’s race, van Gisbergen will face a unique experience: a traditional Le Mans-style start where drivers run to their cars. Commenting on this, he humorously remarked, “I haven’t run for a long time, but the person who organized it, he doesn’t run, so I’m sure he did it on purpose.”
Highlands Motorsport Park owner Tony Quinn praised van Gisbergen’s versatility, stating, “He does rallying and he can drift that’s incredible, really.” Van Gisbergen’s diverse skills and upcoming venture into NASCAR highlight his adaptability in the world of motorsports.
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Our Reader’s Queries
Why did Van Gisbergen retire?
The team recently made a public announcement stating that the 23-year-old is leaving for personal reasons. They emphasized that the decision was not caused by the team’s impending takeover by Erebus.
How many races has Shane Van Gisbergen won?
Van Gisbergen has secured an impressive 80 wins and 46 pole positions, placing him 4th on the all-time wins list in the Supercars Championship. He’s a three-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, taking the title in 2020, 2022, and 2023. These statistics are current as of January 2, 2024.
How much does Shane Van Gisbergen weigh?
Shane van Gisbergen, weighing in at 99.5kg, holds the title for the heaviest driver in the Championship, as per official weights. On the other end of the spectrum, Dean Fiore weighs in at a mere 75kg, making him the lightest driver. It’s worth noting that the mandated seat weight is 13.8kg.
