McLaren’s factory GT squad has been further bolstered by the addition of V8 Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen.
The 25 year old joins an impressive group of drivers that includes Rob Bell, Kevin Estre, Alvaro Parente and recent signing Bruno Senna.
Van Gisbergen has proven his ability in all types of machinery, having won his native New Zealand Formula Ford Championship in 2006 before moving on to V8 Supercars, in which he finished second in the standings last year.
Last season also saw van Gisbergen raise his profile in GT racing, driving a McLaren 12 C GT3 at the Bathurst 12 Hour and Spa 24 Hours races, recording the fastest lap in the former. He has also driven for Alex Job Racing at the last two Rolex 24 at Daytona enduros, finishing sixth in GTD on his first visit and second in this year’s edition.
“It is great to have Shane on board for the 2015 season,” said Andrew Kirkaldy, Managing Director at McLaren GT. “He showed some real talent when he raced the McLaren 12 C 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. He has shown himself to be a great talent in Australia, and we are confident that he can recreate that success in Europe.’
Van Gisbergen’s 2015 schedule will be announced in the coming weeks, although he is expected to take part in more European GT races this year as part of his McLaren factory involvement.
