Kiwi track star to fly the Ford flag
Guest: Ford V8 Supercar rising star Shane van Gisbergen, 19, is a guest of honour at next Saturday's All Ford Day in Cairns.
FORD V8 Supercar young gun Shane van Gisbergen will be a VIP guest at next weekend's All Ford Day in Cairns.
The All Ford Club FNQ has secured the 19-year-old rising star and Stone Brothers racing owner Ross Stone for the day-long event at Munro Martin Park next Saturday from 10am.
Club president Ronelle Wegner said the club was lucky to be able to fly the teenager and his boss to the Far North.
"They will be available from 10.30am to 4pm to sign autographs and meet fans," she said.
This weekend, van Gisbergen competes in the seventh round of the championships at Ipswich. He is currently 11th on the leader board with 832 points and scored 140 points at Darwin two weeks ago.
He started racing ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) in New Zealand at the age of eight and won the Junior Auckland and New Zealand Championships in his first year.
Following up on his ATV success, van Gisbergen moved into Quarter Midgets, running at Western Springs regularly. He notched up more wins and Auckland titles. In his last season, he broke his own lap record at the central Auckland venue.
He moved into karts in 2002 and quickly upset the established ranks, winning major meetings in just 18 months in the sport, including the 2003 CIK Junior Trophy of New Zealand and the Junior NorthIsland Championship.
He quickly outgrew his kart and moved into car racing when he was awarded the Speedsport Star of Tomorrow Formula First Scholarship in 2004. That gave him two full seasons in a Formula First with Dennis Martin's Sabre Motorsport race team.
He upgraded to Formula Ford in the 2005/2006 National Championship season and graduated to the Toyota Racing Series with International Motorsport in the 2006/2007 season, winning at Taupo and Manfield and finishing 2nd in the series.
Van Gisbergen's big break came last July when he was offered a V8 Supercar drive in the SBR prepared Team Kiwi Racing BF Falcon.
He debuted at Oran Park, finishing 13th in only his second V8 Supercar race. The young Kiwi driver earned points in five of the seven V8 Supercar rounds in which he competed.
He was awarded the prize seat in SBR's No.9 BF Falcon this year and is competing in his first full V8 Supercar season for sponsor SP Tools.
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