Van Gisbergen: I’m ready to win
In an exclusive column, Shane van Gisbergen reveals his delight at winning in Pukekohe yesterday and his determination to bring the Supercars crown to New Zealand.
THERE’S nothing better than coming back home to race.
The noise from the crowds when you come over the mountain onto the home straight is like nothing else.
Yesterday was such a special experience with my win in the second race. To hear the crowd on that first lap was incredible . . . so loud . . . like the days I remember when I came to ‘‘Puke’’ as a kid to watch Murph.
And to bring it home with the win was amazing.
It was fantastic to get two poles, I could not have asked for more from the Red Bull Holden which has been awesome since we arrived here.
I made a small mistake at the start of the first race and Jamie was too strong from there.
But we had a fantastic tussle for those first few laps of the second race – it was great fun.
Everyone is asking me about the championship – how I am feeling, how I amapproaching it, how is the pressure and so on. Honestly I amapproaching things just the same as I always do.
There’s two more races here at Pukekohe today . . . I amfocusing on a good qualifying effort and then have a clean race with no mistakes.
If I do that and in the two races in Sydney, then the championship will look after itself.
I’m also a team guy and so it is great for our Red Bull team to have Jamie right there as well . . . we both respect each other, we push each other to be better drivers and have faster cars. I am loving it.
I also like the format here. It is the only place this year where we have the four straight 100km races with no pit stops for fuel. I think it makes for a fairer result. Qualify well and then race well and you get the rewards. There’s no external stuff that can happen when pit stops come into things.
I know there has been a bit written about a lack of respect for me out on the grid.
That stuff does not bother me and I know it’s not true. I have also learned that in some part it comes with the territory when you race for a top team like Red Bull Racing.
They have been the top team for a few years now and they have earned that with their level of expertise, really hard work and attention to detail. But when you are top dog then you are going to get some flak.
That’s something Jamie has dealt with for years and some of that has been jealousy because he has been so good.
While I amnot getting ahead of myself, to have a Kiwi with their name on the championship trophy would be unreal for me, my family and our team… but also for all Kiwi motorsport fans.
I hope the crowds turn out in force again for the final two races and that I can continue with the success.
Bring it on.