Feature: Shane van Gisbergen the Supercars star through the years

For a decade and a half Shane van Gisbergen wowed fans during one of the most entertaining careers of the modern era, but farewelled Australia in Adelaide last weekend with America calling. Here is how it panned out through the years and the pages of AUTO ACTION.

Whilst the fairytale ending did not eventuate at Adelaide as Brodie Kostecki took the championship and car #97 retired from both races, it does not diminish the shining star of SVG.

He grew from a preciously talented, but shy Kiwi into an all-time great with three championship and Bathurst 1000 crowns next to his name.

All up his record reads an imposing 508 races, 81 wins, 176 podiums, and 48 poles putting him in rare air.

As van Gisbergen farewells Supercars and packed his bags, it is the right time to reflect on his journey to being a Supercars champion and NASCAR winner.

2007 – Team Kiwi debut

Shane Van Gisbergen sliding his way across the Oran Park ice-skating rink in 2007. image: LAT Images

Whilst Lee Holdsworth made the headlines by walking on water, a fresh-faced Kiwi starting out his Supercars journey also made a splash in the puddles at Oran Park.

After three rounds away and a switch from Commodores to Falcons, Team Kiwi Racing returned to the Supercars grid at the seventh round of the season at the figure-eight track and brought with it a young 18-year-old with the initials SVG.

Few knew about him but Ross and Jimmy Stone did and their alliance with Team Kiwi gave van Gisbergen and shot and he took it with open arms.

After finishing 20th in his first race, the teenager showed a glimpse of his wet-weather skills by skating his way up to 13th place with strong one-lap pace.

Although it was not a news item in issue #1254, van Gisbergen’s rookie performance was enough to get a “pat on the back” in the Oran Park race report.

“A pat on the back for 18-year-old debutant Shane van Gisbergen who impressed in the most trying conditions, scoring points for 13th in race two,” read the review.

The cover of AUTO ACTION issue #1254 documenting 2007 Oran Park.

“Underlining his undoubted ability, van Gisbergen posted the fifth fastest lap in race two and even more impressively, the third fastest in race three.”

After an even stronger result of 12th arrived on the streets of Surfers Paradise, the Stones had seen enough to promote van Gisbergen to SBR as Russell Ingall’s replacement in 2008, just three years after the latter was champion in car #9.

2008 – Steps up to Stone Brothers Racing

Shane Van Gisbergen steering his Stone Brothers Racing Falcon at Hidden Valley Raceway in 2008. Image: Mark Horsburgh / LAT

SVG arrived as the new kid on the block at in a young line-up at SBR alongside James Courtney and it did not take long for the Kiwi to replay the faith.

He immediately showed pace by getting a top five on the Sunday of the Clipsal 500 where he easily outpaced his senior teammate, but it was not until round 5 at Sandown where he made his first huge statement.

The atrocious conditions in the middle of Melbourne winter brought out the best of van Gisbergen as he soared from ninth to third and score the first of 177 podiums, which he marked with a skid.

“I did not have the pace of the Triple Eight guys but my car was good off the corners, but did not have the same lateral grip. I am absolutely loving it here at SBR,” a young SVG said after his podium.

With Jamie Whincup winning the round and SVG in fourth, Ford dominated proceedings in Sandown.

In race three both Courtney and van Gisbergen led the field off the start, but car #9 dropped to fourth after sliding off track. Despite the mistake, he maintained the position under “intense pressure from Todd Kelly and Russell Ingall.”

Further top fives at the Gold Coast and Oran Park ensured van Gisbergen finished 15th in his first full-time season, just one spot behind Mark Skaife and ahead of hero Greg Murphy.

2009/2010: Building momentum

Shane van Gisbergen gets some air at Perth in 2009. Image: Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic

Shane van Gisbergen continued building momentum at Stone Brothers Racing across the following three seasons but the former Ford powerhouse was not the juggernaut it once was.

Whilst he endured his only podium-less Supercars season in 2009, the Kiwi still took steps forward with regular top 10 finishes throughout the year.

He bookended the season with P6s at Adelaide and Sydney, while the top result of the year was fifth place in the opening races of the Gold Coast SuperGP and the second trip to Phillip Island.

Van Gisbergen rose to 12th in the championship to establish himself as the lead driver at SBR with Alex Davison now his teammate.

Shane van Gisbergen is all smiles after being the runner-up at the 2010 Australian Grand Prix V8 Supercars GP Challenge. Image: Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic

But bigger things were to come in 2010, where SVG grew from being a newcomer to a regular frontrunner.

Van Gisbergen raced out of the blocks to collect a pair of podiums at the first two events in Yas Marina and Bahrain to sit third in the standings prior to Clipsal, which was a sign of things to come.

He carried on that form at Queensland Raceway, Hidden Valley and Surfers Paradise where he left all six of those races on the rostrum. The most memorable of those was easily the latter when he traded punches with future teammate Jamie Whincup in a classic street fight which remains one of the most talked about battles to this day.

At the end of the breakout season with nine podiums, van Gisbergen finished sixth in the standings and being just 20 and at the end of a three-year deal with SBR, he was suddenly hot propety.

Despite the outside interest, van Gisbergen told AUTO ACTION at the time of his preference to stay with the Stones, which proved to be the case.

“Of course you have interest from other teams but I don’t know,” the youngster said.

“There is no reason to leave at the moment, so we will see what happens.”

2011 – Van Gisbergen climbs the mountain

Shane van Gisbergen’s first AA cover reading “under pressure” ahead of the Hamilton 400… he certainly delivered that weekend.

Despite having three full seasons under his belt, van Gisbergen did not appear on the cover of AUTO ACTION until 2011 and the timing could not have been better.

As Supercars headed across the ditch for the Hamilton 400, headlines suggested it was “crunch time” for van Gisbergen at his home race.

Despite a fast start at Yas Marina with a pair of top 10s, SVG struggled to replicate the same pace at Adelaide and admitted he was feeling some pressure as he arrived in New Zealand.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel any added pressure,” the 21-year-old said prior to the career-changing round.

“Certainly with all the fans cheering us Kiwi drivers. We try our hardest for them.

“I am not thinking about winning. a podium would be amazing but I just want to put the best weekend together to get the championship back on track.”

As history shows, van Gisbergen stunned even himself as he soared on the slippery Hamilton streets to score an “emotional” maiden win on home turf after surviving a late challenge from Lee Holdsworth.

Shane van Gisbergen on his way to a special maiden win at Hamilton in 2011.

“It was a pretty emotional race,” van Gisbergen said after his first win.

“We had to work hard for it and when I passed Rick (Kelly) everyone was cheering for the whole lap.”

Ross Stone was also emotional and was optimistic it was the first of many. He did not have to wait long for the second act as SVG emerged victorious from some late-race Safety Car chaos at Hidden Valley.

He carried on his momentum at the back end of the year with six straight top 10s and back to back podiums in the Sydney finale to secure fourth in the title. A new star was born and a bright future was ahead.

2012 – Winds of change

Shane van Gisbergen’s desire to avoid racing an Erebus Mercedes were evident for a while as broken in AA issue #1516.

Fresh from a big 2011 van Gisbergen’s 2012 campaign started steadily with a pair of runner-up finishes at Symmons Plains and Phillip Island, which left him best of the rest behind the four Triple 8 and FPR drivers who would go onto collect all 30 wins that year.

Despite an impressive performance at Yas Marina, things started to unravel behind the scenes as the big announcement of Erebus Motorsport taking over SBR and bringing Mercedes to the sport was dropped.

From the moment this was announced, it was clear both incumbent drivers van Gisbergen and Holdsworth were looking for ways out.

Van Gisbergen had recently signed a three-year extension in March of 2012 to stay with SBR, but reports of the Kiwi being “dissatisfied and began exploring his options to be released from his contract” emerged after the Erebus takeover came.

By the end of the season the “deepening mystery” became clear as van Gisbergen announced the bombshell that he was to quit Supercars at just 23 citing “personal reasons”.

His call was made after the penultimate round at Winton and his final race at SBR was not a memorable one, being a double retirement at Sydney Olympic Park where he infamously had a run in with the Medical Car.

When the sun set on the season, it was unclear whether the special talent would be seen again, but he had something big coming.

2013-2015 – A new man on the rise

Shane van Gisbergen’s paws were splashed onto the cover of issue #1531 after his Adelaide win.

Van Gisbergen’s retirement proved to be the shortest in history as he was on the grid at the very next event in Adelaide 2013 wearing the VIP Petfoods yellow and black of Tekno Autosports.

The shock return arrived in January and the Kiwi stole the stage that was the dawn of the Car of the Future era on the streets of Adelaide.

Despite a threat of legal action from SBR and all the noise surrounding the story, van Gisbergen was able to push it all aside to beat future teammates Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes as less than four seconds covered the podium finishers after a dramatic day.

After his third career win and first for Holden, van Gisbergen said a ‘more calm and happy’ feeling behind the wheel than his SBR days helped him achieve the surprise success.

“It confirms that I made the right decision,” he said. “I just feel like I am driving better myself (than 2012). I am a bit more calm and happy behind the wheel and that makes a difference.

“I did not really train the last half of last year (2012) with no motivation so I did struggle (in the car) but made it to the end.

“Tekno is more of a family team and the atmosphere is really good.

“I just enjoy racing and the way the team goes racing,” van Gisbergen continued in an interview later on in his Tekno days.

“It is just different and being allowed to race everything is pretty cool as well.”

A huge 2014 occluding wins saw Shane van Gisbergen finish second only behind the dominant Jamie Whincup. Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic

The Tekno opportunity proved to be the launching pad out of nowhere. Van Gisbergen bookended 2013 with wins at Adelaide and Sydney and finished fifth in the championship, but knew more was possible with more consistency.

The following 2014 season was even better, proving the smashing Tekno debut was no flash in the pan as he flourished with Steve Hallam.

After early podiums at Adelaide and Tasmania, plus a dominant performance at the non championship Australian Grand Prix round, he scored a special first win at Pukekohe.

From there he proved tough to stop, flying in the rain at Sydney while further wins on the Gold Coast and Sydney streets to score an impressive second place in the championship for the little team.

Bathurst was a tale of what could have been, leading Tekno to become the first single-car team in 15 years to start on pole. Everything was going well until 11 laps to go when he stalled car #97 in the pits and it was game over, leaving the SVG “gutted”.

Although he was not quite as prolific in 2015, van Gisbergen and Tekno were still a frontrunner and having seen his skills on the data over the previous three years, Triple Eight swooped in on his signature.

Even though bigger things were to come, van Gisbergen fittingly saluted a memorable time at Tekno by winning his final race with the single-car team at Sydney Olympic Park.

2016 – Champion

Shane van Gisbergen’s maiden championship on the cover of AA where by now he was a regular visiter.

After being squeezed into the top team in town, van Gisbergen wasted no time showing Supercars what he could do with the best equipment at Triple Eight.

In one of the more competitive seasons ever with 10 different winners from the first 12 races, van Gisbergen emerged as the king in the #97 Red Bull VF Commodore.

He picked up regular wins along the way and ultimately marched clear of his rivals with an amazing streak of 10 straight podiums to end the year. In the previous 10 seasons Craig Lowndes had only outscored Whincup once and van Gisbergen did in his first go to be champion.

Shane van Gisbergen smokes the field and crowd at Pukekohe in 2016. Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic

“I don’t know if surprised is the right word. I did not have any expectations,” van Gisbergen told AA after wrapping up the crown at Homebush.

“I always hoped and knew if I worked hard I might be able to achieve it.

“This has been one of my best years racing and as long as I keep pushing I will get better.”

2017-2020 – Dancing with DJR

Fabian Coulthard,Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen fly side by side into turn 1 at SMP in 2017 where cars #97 and #17 would later tangle at turn 2. Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT Images

Despite immediately striking gold with Triple Eight in 2016, van Gisbergen had to wait another five years for his next championship success, but this did not stop him from contending.

Across the next four seasons van Gisbergen had countless memorable battles with Dick Johnson Racing and in particular Scott McLaughlin.

His first race of being a defending champion was an ominous one, clean sweeping the Adelaide 500, but he could only manage two more wins for the remainder of the season.

He made it four in a row on the streets of Adelaide in 2018 where he was a much bigger force in the new ZB Commodore.

The two kiwis of van Gisbergen and McLaughlin went toe to toe throughout the season and just 14 points separated the pair prior to the final round of the year at Newcastle after car #97 claimed a further four wins.

Shane van Gisbergen leads Scott McLaughlin at Ipswich in 2018.

Van Gisbergen appeared up for the fight, crossing the line first in a dramatic race on Saturday, only to lose it due to his fuel hose still being connected when his car was dropped during the first pit stop.

Suddenly what was a two-point deficit became 53 and van Gisbergen could not stop McLaughlin from clinching his maiden title after a year where they banged doors before and after the chequered flag.

Following the arrival of the new Ford Mustang and car #17 being a weapon at the hands of the dominant McLaughlin, van Gisbergen could not mount a title challenge in 2019.

However, he finished the season strong with wins in Pukekohe, Gold Coast and Newcastle to carry momentum in 2020.

That year proved to be a similar story as SVG had to wait 18 races before his first win but then the floodgates opened.

The special cover on SVG’s special maiden Bathurst win.

He picked up three wins in four races to later arrive at Mount Panorama in top form and there was no stopping him.

In his 14th attempt, van Gisbergen was finally king of the mountain alongside Garth Tander having held off Cam Waters in a tense finish at Holden’s last factory Great Race.

“It is so special to win here,” SVG said after his first of three Bathurst wins.

“You get close so may times and then you just begin to doubt, especially in those last few laps when you start to think what is going to go wrong? But the car ran faultless all day and got better and better.”

2021-22: In a league of his own

Shane van Gisbergen at Sandown in 2021, one of his finest drives.

Having been the only driver to match McLaughlin over a long period of time in the previous three seasons, once the DJR driver left few could lay a glove on Triple Eight’s flying Kiwi.

Van Gisbergen started the 2021 season in incredible fashion, winning the opening six races to ensure he was never troubled en route to a second title. A steak that bettered Mark Skaife’s record of 5 in 1994.

Of the 14 wins in that campaign, the standout was easily Sandown when he gritted his way through three broken ribs and a broken collarbone to sweep the weekend, including the opener when he started down in 17th.

“Luckily we didn’t know about the ribs, because we wouldn’t have been allowed to race,” SVG later revealed.

“That weekend… I had some good people help me through.

“I drove a BMW production car on the Tuesday [at Queensland Raceway] and I couldn’t drive it without pain, but I didn’t tell anyone that.

“It was getting better every day; when I got to the circuit, I was in pain, but I could handle it and that weekend set up the year.”

The cover marking Shane van Gisbergen’s record-breaking 2022 title.

But even bigger things were to in 2022 as van Gisbergen went on a record-breaking run to a third title.

Car #97 won 21 of the 34 races held that year, which easily eclipsed McLaughlin’s previous record for the most wins in a calendar year of 18 in 2019

The driver and engineer partnership with Andrew Edwards ran perfectly, while another Bathurst crown was secured with the help of Tander on one crazy day at the Mountain where penalties, rain, incidents and fast-finishing rivals all threatened.

Triple Eight’s Mark Dutton said van Gisbergen’s racing IQ put him a cut above the rest.

“I’ve never seen anyone compare to Shane with just how much capacity he’s got for the racing, not just for the feel of the car, but for the strategy and the thinking,” Dutton told AA post wrapping up the title on the Gold Coast. 

“He’s non-stop thinking, and he still enjoys it as much. Like that passing move on Will, today, was spectacular. And over the radio, he cheered and was excited to share that moment with the team. So that’s pretty cool.

2023: One final crack

Shane van Gisbergen surfing the Gold Coast kerbs. Image: Mark Horsburgh

After achieving the near-perfect year in 2022, a new challenge arrived in the form of Gen3 for van Gisbergen and from the opener it was clear it was not going to be such a smooth ride.

Although van Gisbergen crushed the opposition at Newcastle, he was stripped of one win due to the illegal placement of a second cooling system in the car and then there was that infamous press conference.

As the season went on he had recurring troubles with the Gen3 Camaro, especially with the steering racks and never found the same comfort with the new car as the old one, while his heart was set on NASCAR following his famous drive through the streets of Chicago.

However, after a breakthrough win in Sydney he appeared to turn a corner and then produced a special drive at Mount Panorama to take the most dominant Bathurst win of the 21st century.

Van Gisbergen described the win as the “perfect way to say goodbye” to The Mountain.

Despite having obvious reservations about the new Gen3 Camaro, a number of fighting drives meant van Gisbergen was still in championship contention come Adelaide.

Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway’s Bathurst triumph celebrated on the cover of AA.

But through an unlucky first lap incident and “mystery” issues on Sunday, it was not meant to be and Kostecki claimed the crown.

Even though it ended on a sour note, van Gisbergen has nothing but admiration for his time at Triple Eight.

“It’s been awesome. It’s a great team, and with all the partners that they have there, they’ve allowed me to keep being myself,” he told AA recently.

“And when we joined, there were obviously three very different personalities with me, Jamie, and Craig, but they didn’t try and make me be like Craig or Jamie.

“They let me be myself and pull me back into line or guide me where they needed. But I’ve felt at home there since I joined.”

As he jets off to America, SVG’s flare behind the wheel will never be forgotten and we will be all watching his NASCAR career with interest just like Marcos Ambrose.

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In the latest podcast, the Vailo Adelaide 500 is one of Australia’s great sporting events, and Brodie Kostecki took his first Supercars crown right off the head of the departing Shane van Gisbergen.

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