V8 Supercar star Van Gisbergen named McLaren GT factory driver
Shane Van Gisbergen sits fourth in the V8 Supercar championship standings after the opening round.
#101 Von Ryan Racing McLaren MP4-12C: Tim Mullen, Rob Bell, Shane van Gisbergen
Brecht Decancq Photography
Shane Van Gisbergen is expanding his horizons and strengthening his relationship with McLaren as he is named an official GT factory driver for the marque. This continues to be a result of his unforgettable performance in the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hours.
The tenacious racer joins Rob Bell, Kevin Estre, Bruno Senna, and Alvaro Parente as factory McLaren GT drivers, but the Kiwi will also continue to battle for a championship on the V8 Supercar side.
He has shown himself to be a great talent in Australia, and we are confident that he can recreate that success in Europe.
McLaren GT's Andrew Kirkaldy on SVG
It's expected that he will be showcasing his talents on the European stage with Gis likely taking part in some Blancpain Endurance Series events.
Van Gisbergen finished second in the GTD class in this past January's Rolex 24 and also competed for McLaren in the 24 Hours of Spa last year. It was also recently announced that SVG would join legends Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes as the third driver at Triple Eight in 2016.
McLaren comments
It is great to have Shane on board for the 2015 season,” said McLaren GT Director Andrew Kirkaldy.
“He showed some real talent when he raced the 12C GT3 in the Australian GT championship last year, and was the quickest man on track at Bathurst last year when I raced alongside him, and we narrowly missed out on a podium in one of the closest finishes in the race’s history.
Kirkaldy concluded, “He has shown himself to be a great talent in Australia, and we are confident that he can recreate that success in Europe.”
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