Driver still revels in the need for speed
Shane van Gisbergen wants to become a permanent fixture at Triple Eight Race Engineering.
The Kiwi Supercars driver is back in New Zealand this week for the Pukekohe round of the series.
On the eve of the action it was announced that fellow Holden driver and Scott McLaughlin’s foe, David Reynolds had signed a 10-year deal with his current team, Erebus.
Speaking to Stuff at the Auckland offices of Red Bull yesterday, the 2016 Supercars champion says he’s hoping to stick with his current team for just as long.
Van Gisbergen is in his fourth year with Triple Eight and wants to keep renewing his deal each time it comes close to expiring.
‘‘Our contract came up last year and I hope it’s the same for the next one, that it just rolls over and is a pretty easy deal,’’ van Gisbergen said.
‘‘I’d love to stay at Triple Eight as long as I can. They’ve been loyal to Craig [Lowndes] and Jamie [Whincup] and then with myself. I hope I can make it the same and have a long relationship.’’
But this could be the most disappointing season in Triple Eight’s history as its car clearly doesn’t have the pace of the Ford Mustangs, particularly the one driven by Scott McLaughlin.
Even so, the battle to improve continues at Triple Eight.
‘‘It’s still been fun,’’ van Gisbergen said. ‘‘But it’s been challenging and then you’re really pushing yourself, digging deep to find speed. I’m still enjoying it a lot, which is the main thing.’’
At the last round of the series at Tailem Bend, van Gisbergen finished sixth in both races, while Whincup was 11th and fifth. Van Gisbergen said that had altered their focus for the rest of the season.
‘‘It has certainly been a pretty tough year for us,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s weird having our goal to be the top Holden team. That’s a hard one, when you’re up against
‘‘It’s been challenging and then you’re really pushing yourself, digging deep to find speed.’’ Shane van Gisbergen
a driver and a team like that [McLaughlin and DJR TeamPenske].
‘‘But they’re doing an amazing job, which is a tough one for us and we’ve had to adjust the goals a bit.
‘‘They are making changes still. We have a new aero kit this weekend, we don’t know what that will do to, what balance we’ll have when we drive out, so we’ll have to feel that and we have that for Bathust too, so it’s all up in the air at the moment.
‘‘The goalposts are always moving, which keeps it exciting.’’
For this round those new aero kits will either close the gap on the Mustangs, or it will be business as usual, with Ford dominating again.
‘‘We have no data on it. It’s just bits that we’re told to change, so we’ll go out and try some stuff,’’ van Gisbergen said.
‘‘Jamie will go out and do one part of it and I’ll try the rear stuff and we’ll work out what the best way is.’’
By today’s first practice session it should be known whether the new aero package is any good.
If it’s not, it could be a long weekend for Holden fans as there’s no plan B.
‘‘You’ve just got to make the most of it,’’ van Gisbergen said.
‘‘It’s the change that all Holdens have to run now, so all of the Holdens will have the same problem.
‘‘We don’t know if it’s good or bad yet, but we’ll find out.’’