Shane van Gisbergen was born to race. From pestering his Dad Robert to buy him a Suzuki ATV at the tender age of five, to signing - at just 17 years of age - a contract to race V8 Supercars for top Ford team Stone Brothers Racing, the constant in his life has been competition.

 

Raised on the rural fringe of New Zealand´s largest city Auckland, Shane spent his formative years racing ATVs on natural terrain Motocross tracks and a Quarter Midget on speedway ovals before a brief but typically successful dalliance with karts and a year in the Formula First class courtesy New Zealand´s SpeedSport magazine Scholarship program saw his focus turn to tarmac.

 

Since then he has been on a fast track to major league Australasian success, winning the New Zealand Formula Ford championship in 2006 and finishing a close second to teammate Daniel Gaunt in the Toyota Racing Series in 2007. Later the same year he signed a long-term driver contract with Stone Brothers Racing, making the V8 Supercar championship debut he has always dreamed about at the Oran Park round in August.

 

In 2011, driving the #9 SP Tools Racing Falcon, Shane is well in the hunt for the Championship after scoring ten podium finishes last season.

 

Driver Profile

Date of birth: 9 May 1989

Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand

Lives: Gold Coast, QLD

Marital Status: Single

Height: 186cm

Weight:                85kg

Nickname: Cheese (JNR)

Interests: Mountain Biking, Hyper Simulator, Music, Other Motorsport Series

Personal vehicle: Ford Falcon XR6

 

Driver Chat

First Job: This one

 

First Road Car: 1989 White Toyota Starlet

 

First race car: Sabre Formula First (Formula Vee)

 

Hero: Greg Murphy

 

Favourite circuit and why: Bathurst, it´s such a unique place and nothing else gets close to it. The chase is my favourite part

 

Favourite Race and why: Has to be Hamilton, NZ. Racing in front of a home crowd makes you dig in that little bit more.

 

Most memorable racing moment: Probably my first championship race in Formula Ford. It was wet (surprise) at Pukekohe and I spun out from Pole Position at turn one, went to the back of the pack and went on a massive charge back through the field which was completed with a last lap pass for the lead!

 

Greatest personal influence: The feeling of winning, there is nothing like it.

 

I prepare for a race by: I like to take some time out and just listen to some music and just zone out for a while.

 

Best advice ever given: You only get a sore neck looking back

 

Best/Worst part of the job: The best is probably that I´m getting to race against the best drivers in Australasia and I’m doing what I´ve always dreamed about doing. Worst part is probably the offseason!

 

You´ll never see me without: My mobile phone

 

Favourite food: Nacho´s

 

Favourite movie: Hot Rod

 

Music on my iPod: King´s of Leon, The Killers and Rise Against

 

To exercise regime includes: Lots of cycling and light weight training

 

Person I´d most like to meet: Perry McCarthy

 

 

Driver Stats

Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championship Series Debut: 2007 Oran Park

First Win: Hamilton, NZ - 2011

First Pole Position: Albert Park Grand Prix, 2011.

First Podium Finish: 3rd place Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi - Race 2

First season in a V8 Supercar: 2007

First major crash: Winton 2008 Practice

First Bathurst: 2007

Number of Bathurst starts: 4

 

Career Progression

2011 V8 Supercar Championship – Australia - Currently in 4th place

2010 V8 Supercar Championship – Australia – finished 6th

2009 V8 Supercar Championship – Australia – finished 12th

2008 V8 Supercar Championship – Australia – finished 15th

2007 V8 Supercar Championship – Australia – finished 43rd

 

2006/07 Toyota Racing Series - New Zealand

2006/07 2nd Toyota Racing Series

2006/07 1st TRS International Series

2006/07 TRS Rookie of the Year

 

2005/06 MTA New Zealand Formula Ford Championship

2005/06 1st New Zealand Formula Ford championship

2005/06 Rookie of The Year New Zealand Formula Ford championship

 

Formula Ford results ´2005/06 Formula Ford Championship-New Zealand

2004/05 3rd New Zealand Formula First championship

2004/05 Rookie of The Year New Zealand Formula First championship

2004 1st SpeedSport Scholarship

 

2003 KartSport

2003 1st Junior 100cc Yamaha class KartSport NZ North Island championship

2003 1st KartSport NZ CIK Trophy of NZ meeting

2003 1st Junior 100cc Yamaha class Auckland Schools Championship

 

2002 Quarter Midgets

2002 Quarter Midget class Most wins at Western Springs & Rosebank Rd Auckland

 

2001 Quarter Midgets - New Zealand

2001 1st Quarter Midget Nationals Whangarei

2001 Quarter Midget class Most wins at Western Springs &Rosebank Rd

2000 Quarter Midget class Most wins at Western Springs & Rosebank Rd

 

Motocross Championship titles

3 x NZ Motocross Champion 1998,2002,2003,

3 x North Island Champion  1999,2000,2004

2 x South Island Champion  2003,2004,

 

Trophies Won

2007/08 the Denis Hulme Trophy

2006/07 TRS International Trophy

2006/07 The New Zealand Motor Cup

2006/07 TRS Rookie of the Year Trophy

 

2005/06  MotorSport NZ Steel Trophy (best performance by an under 21-year-old)

2005/06 Ron Frost memorial Trophy

2005/06 Edgell Automotive Trophy - Pukekohe

2005/06 Motorsport Solutions Trophy - Ruapuna

2005/06 Macauley Ford Trophy - Teretonga

2005/06 Auckland Car Club Dennis Hulme Trophy

 

2004/05 Michael McHugh Memorial Trophy - Pukekohe

2004/05 MotorSport NZ  Steel Trophy (best performance by an under 21-year-old)

2004/05 Rod Ball Memorial Trophy

2004/05 The Orama Trophy (best first year Formula First driver)

2004/05 Ricoh Racing Trophy

2004/05 Luxford Family Trophy

 

Scholarships

2006 MotorSport NZ High Performance Academy Scholarship

2006 MotorSport New Zealand President´s Trophy

2005 Counties Manukau Sport Youth Scholarship Award

2004 SpeedSport Scholarship

 

Car Profile

Car Make/Model: Ford Falcon FG

Car number: 9

Engineer: Paul Forgie

Car History: New, debut Adelaide 2009