“I don’t have any regrets really, other than lots of little racing mistakes, or errors on track, but nothing big, it’s all part of it.
“If I had to pick one big great moment, though, it would have to be Pukekohe last year and winning that last race ever there and seeing all the fans and having my family there. That’s a moment I’ll never forget, that was special.”
At the last round of the Supercars championship in November, the category and fans alike said farewell to one of the series’ greats. Van Gisbergen was a racer you couldn’t help but admire.
Universally recognised as one of the best drivers in the category, after three championships and three Bathurst 1000 victories the New Zealander is looking for a new challenge.
“Obviously our last race in Adelaide didn’t go as we hoped. We went into the weekend with a slim hope of winning, with everything prepared and ready to go.
“Unfortunately, it all ended four corners into the first race. It didn’t get any better in Sunday’s race, when we had car issues and had to retire.
“It was a tough old weekend but the reaction from all the fans and drivers was amazing. It was really cool to see what I meant to a lot of people, and winning the fan award was amazing.
“I struggle to be open to people in public and stuff, and for people to see me for who I am and my style of racing is really humbling. I’ll leave pretty proud of what we achieved.”
The last few years have seen several of the more colourful characters depart the championship, with an influx of talented younger drivers. There’s no shortage of New Zealanders capable of stepping up.
“There are a lot of young drivers doing really well and Brodie [Kostecki] won the championship this year. The future is big for these guys and I hope they can bring some personality to the series, like James [Courtney] and Dave [Reynolds].
“There are some good Kiwis still in the field, like Matthew [Payne], who in his rookie year has been really impressive, and Andre [Heimgartner] is also always there.
“There’s also a young guy, Ryan Wood, racing next year who’s really good and will be a superstar, and obviously there’s Richie [Stanaway], who’s now a Bathurst champion and reinvigorated to go racing again.”
Always up for a racing challenge, van Gisbergen is heading to the US to start the next chapter of his career in probably the toughest of tin-top racing categories.
He will become the first New Zealander to compete full time in Nascar and he made fans and drivers of the series take note by winning on debut at Chicago and earning a top-10 finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“There were opportunities with other Nascar teams to go straight into the deep end [Cup Series], but I think it’s too different a sport — you’ve got ovals, and race weekends are so different — and it would have been too big an adjustment to jump straight in.
“The plan Trackhouse have put me in [races in the Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series] is the best. I’ve got a lot to learn and it’ll be fun doing it.
“Next year, I want to find my feet in the Nascar world and understand how it all works. I want to try and be in the Cup Series full time by 2025.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have been in good teams all my racing life. Stone Brothers Racing were great, as was Tekno, and Triple Eight were fantastic.
“All good teams have good leaders and figureheads, and Trackhouse is just the same. When you listen to what Justin [Marks, team owner] says and thinks and what he wants to achieve, it’s pretty cool.”
Van Gisbergen had some advice for those running Supercars.
“At times, it was hard, as they didn’t really listen to the drivers. I tried and others tried, and I just hope in the future, they listen to the drivers and, more importantly, the fans who have opinions about the new car, but they seem to be doing the opposite.
“You’ve got to remember the people who are important to the series.”
