‘Unreal’ result: van Gisbergen wins a hat trick at NZGP

I never saw the like. The first motor race I watched live and trackside as media was the 1985 Benson and Hedges 500 at Pukekohe. Ray 'what briefcase' Smith and Denny sharing a gold Holden. Sunburn, leggy young ladies in short (short) shorts, sunhats and filmy blouse things. A classic (horrible) Pukekohe hotdog (cure for constipation!). We travelled there and back in my mate Daine's green and silver 240Z. Bit of a perfect day really.

There have been a fair few races flit past the lens of my SLR since then.

But this weekend I saw the race of races. I watched speechless as Shane van Gisbergen won the 66th New Zealand Grand Prix in a storming drive from from dead-last in pit lane to a 2.2 second lead at the flag.

The NZ Motor Cup becomes his first trophy of 2021, coming on the heels of his 2020 Bathurst 1000 win, a class win in the Rally of Auckland and the outright win at the inaugural Battle of Jacks Ridge late last year.

The 2016 Supercars champion had won the first two races of the weekend but an unfortunate error forced him to start the Grand Prix from the pitlane.

“Some numpty climbing into the car [van Gisbergen] went to start the engine and set off the fire extinguisher!”

He's a big lad, and tall, and the FT60's cockpit was a very uncomfortable fit. He was driving with his wrists, unable to get arm extension and the steering wheel angle was too flat for him - with the cockpit full of van Gisbergen the wheel looked like one of Auckland Transport's bus jobbies, almost vertical! 

With Giz and the car covered in AFFF foamy soapy solution from the exhausted extinguisher, the start was in doubt. The car was hastily pushed back into his pit garage for a new extinguisher and clean-up of the cockpit area and he scrambled to get back in before the green light.

In a first-ever last to first drive van Gisbergen sliced through the 16-car field, catching the front-runners lap 18. Two-time Grand Prix winner Dan Gaunt had swept into the lead on the opening lap, putting pole man Kaleb Ngatoa second.

Charging through the pack, van Gisbergen was second overall with twelve laps remaining and a lap later Gaunt stayed wide going into a right hander, allowing his former Toyota Racing Series team-mate through to the lead.

Andre Heimgartner also slipped through, putting Gaunt third; then newcomer Matthew Payne also stole through to take over third.

Southland brothers Damon and Brendon Leitch came home sixth and seventh, the latter nursing a sprained wrist after contact in the morning’s race with Andre Heimgartner.

An emotional van Gisbergen said the team had given him “a perfect car”.

“We caught up to the field and picked them off one by one. What an awesome race … I don’t know how it happened. The New Zealand Grand Prix is the most prestigious race here, and to get my name on that trophy is a pretty special thing,” he said. 

 


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