Legend in the making? SVG has the uncanny ability to be fast in all disciplines.
Finishing 349 points ahead of teammate and 7 time Championship winner, Jamie Whincup, Shane van Gisbergen joins Kiwi greats, Jim Richards and his friend and former on-track rival, Scott McLaughlin to be the third New Zealander to claim multiple Australian Supercar Championships.
It’s been very apparent the 32 year old has honed his craft significantly in the Triple Eight Racing era, while flourishes of SVG’s ‘drive it like you stole it’ style at the limit still elate fans from time to time, he seems more measured in his attack on the championship than past years. Which to us indicates SVG could just be getting warmed up.
Jaime Whincup, who retires following Bathurst this year to take over day-to-day management (and co-ownership) of Triple Eight racing, couldn’t speak highly enough of Shane’s performance through the season.
“SVG in every single race was just there, consistent, just punching out lap time after lap time in every single race; wet, dry, it didn’t really matter. A broken wing, the whole lot.
“(He) Certainly, massively deserves it. Of course, it was SVG’s championship from a while ago and it was only a matter of time before he collected enough points to make it secure.” Whincup said in defeat.
Bathurst is the next race on the calendar and the torturous circuit has thrown devastating curveballs to Shane in the past, most notably a stalled engine that saw him miss out on the win by the race’s smallest margin in history. Having gotten the monkey from his back with a win in 2020 however, and with the Championship title in the bag, any psychological hurdles should be behind him. We have every confidence in SVG’s form for Bathurst in December.
Away from Supercars, it’s been a busy and hugely successful couple of years for SVG. From Prototype racing in Asia, to winning the New Zealand Grand Prix from last position and taking the top step at the Battle of Jack’s Ridge rally event, in a completely unfamiliar car. There really doesn’t seem to be much he can’t drive and be immediately competitive in, here’s hoping new boss Jaimie Whincup allows Shane to explore more disciplines next year as well.
Shane’s form seems unstoppable but he remains humble when reflecting on 2021.
“It’s still pretty fresh and the feeling of it all hasn’t really sunk in, but it’s been an awesome year. We’ve had some challenges, some ups and downs, but we’ve come here to Sydney with a plan with and we’ve pretty much executed that plan at every race. We’ve been super consistent and did what we needed to do, and overall, it’s been an awesome year. I obviously had some challenges earlier in the year breaking myself, but the car has been fantastic, the team has been fantastic, and I’m super stoked with everything.”
Of course, there are many talented drivers to content with in the dynamic Supercars series and racing can be cruel, but we’re excited to see yet another Kiwi at the top of the table. Many will argue he’s there already, but SVG continues to demonstrate the form required to become a legend of the sport.
