Van Gisbergen signs new multi-year Triple Eight Supercars deal

There's been a cloud over the short-term future of the three-time series champion recently, with van Gisbergen refusing to commit to Supercars until Gen3 had been rolled out.

His relationship with the series was further stretched earlier this year when he locked horns with Mark Skaife over being critical of the new cars.

Despite all that, the Kiwi has now formally committed to both the series and Triple Eight with a multi-year extension beyond this season.

“Extending with Red Bull Ampol Racing was a no-brainer for me," said van Gisbergen.

"It’s certainly exciting to continue with the best team in pitlane and I’m stoked to be able to stay.

“I’ve never been happier at this team. The coolest moment for me, and one that really solidified my decision, was the team repairing my car after I had that shunt at the Australian Grand Prix – everyone stuck in to help each other to get #97 fixed.

"Even though we missed the next practice session, to come out and put the car on pole in qualifying was amazing. Seeing how much that meant to everyone was a special moment, and to then win that race was unreal.

"It’s such a fantastic team environment at the moment, and we have a great crew that I love working with."

Shane van Gisbergen, Triple Eight Race Engineering, Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: Edge Photographics

Van Gisbergen added that the challenges of Gen3 were another reason he had decided to continue in Supercars.

“The best thing about our sport is that it’s always evolving," he said.

"All these challenges we’ve had with the new cars will hopefully work themselves out as we keep updating the cars over the next few events – there’s always something to learn and always things to keep getting better at.

"It’s those challenges that keep it fresh, and working with this team to understand those challenges and make the cars better is what I really enjoy.

“I want to thank the team, our partners and our fans for their support. Triple Eight is a cool place to be a part of and I’m looking forward to the future.”

Triple Eight managing director Jamie Whincup welcomed the continuation of a driver/team combo that started back in 2016.

“It’s always great news when you have the best driver in the country deciding to put his faith in the team at Triple Eight Race Engineering to give him a fast, reliable race car to showcase his skills," said Whincup.

“It’s a huge honour that Shane has chosen us to continue that relationship. We will of course continue to invest in him, his support crew, engineering and mechanics, to give him the best equipment to remain competitive in the sport.

“We as a team need the best drivers in the country to showcase our skills. At the end of the day, we’re an engineering company and we pride ourselves on building the best race cars and componentry and representing ourselves in the highest regard.

"One of those factors is that we need someone to get behind the wheel and showcase that work we do and represent the brand and our partners in the highest possible light, and we believe Shane is the best person for that.

“The highest priority for me is having drivers that put everything on the line and showcase their extreme skill. Everyone that buys a ticket to a Supercars event or watches it on television wants to see drivers who put their bodies on the line and take risks to do extraordinary things, and that’s exactly what SVG does.

"You always have to respect the athletes in the arena, or on the field, or on the track – the ones out there giving their all. The day you don’t respect that is the day that you don’t respect sport.

"That’s what we respect him for – giving his absolute all, week in and week out.”