Van Gisbergen wins NZGP title in style

Shane van Gisbergen has won Supercars, he’s won Bathurst, he’s won rallying’s Battle of Jacks Ridge and now he is the New Zealand Grand Prix champion.

Van Gisbergen, 31, took the title yesterday after a stellar weekend at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in north Waikato.

Van Gisbergen led home Supercars rival Andre Heimgartner having opened a lead of almost three seconds late in the race. Rookie Matthew Payne was third.

He won all three races in the first Castrol Toyota Racing Series, capping it with his first Grand Prix title.

After setting the fire extinguisher off in his car before the start, van Gisbergen missed the pit lane window to exit. He was forced to start from the pit lane after his team completed a hasty cleaning out of his car, overalls, boots, and a replacement fire extinguisher.

Van Gisbergen put that behind him and set off after one of the best fields ever assembled for the Grand Prix, a field which featured more than 50 domestic and international championship titles on its collective resume.

After 10 laps he was inside the top 10, by the 15th lap mark he was in third and on the 19th lap he completed his drive through the field to take the lead.

From there, he continued to put in some of the weekend’s fastest laps, and he crossed the line after 28 laps of the gruelling 4km Hampton Downs international circuit to take victory by two seconds.

In the process, van Gisbergen became the first driver to win all three races in a Toyota Racing Series weekend.

He became the first driver to start a Grand Prix – and a TRS race – from the pit lane and win.

It was a dominant performance capped by trademark doughnuts on the warm-down lap.

‘‘I didn’t really get off to a good start when I pressed the fire extinguisher by mistake but the team were awesome getting me ready to go,’’ he said.

‘‘The safety car was perfect and the car was really hooked up and absolutely awesome. I’m surprised it’s all still there as it was a bit of a rough up going through the field.

‘‘To get my name on that trophy is a pretty special thing. Looking at those names from the 50s and 60s and some of my heroes too. I’m stoked.’’

It was fitting that 79-year-old Kenny Smith – making history with his 50th NZ Grand Prix start – was on hand on the podium to present the historic Motor Cup Trophy back where it belongs in Kiwi motorsport in the hands of the Grand Prix winner.

Heimgartner – another V8 Supercars driver and another driver of immense talent – came home an impressive second after his best performance of the weekend. He raced with a heavily strapped left hand after heavy contact in the morning race.

In a normal year, it would have been a winning drive, but this was no normal year.