McLaren GT has confirmed that Shane Van Gisbergen will be retained as a Factory Driver for the 2016 season. The New Zealand-born racer will return to the wheel of the 650S GT3 for selected races across Europe, alongside his other commitments in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship.
With two wins in the Blancpain Endurance Series, a home win at the Highlands 101 and a famous clean sweep at the Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour race, Van Gisbergen firmly established himself as one of the leading lights on the GT circuit over the past 12 months. He will continue to race at the highest levels of GT racing with a McLaren GT customer team in 2016. The schedule for Van Gisbergen’s race plans will be announced in the coming weeks.
The elated driver explains, “It is an awesome opportunity to be a McLaren GT Factory Driver again this season. 2015 was a great year for me with race wins in the Blancpain Endurance Series and Australian GT. The 650S GT3 has been improving every time I drive it, and I am looking forward to 2016 and hoping again for an enjoyable and successful year of racing.”
Managing Director of the Mclaren GT programme, Andrew Kirkaldy further comments, “He (Van Gisbergen) has proved himself as one of the quickest drivers on any grid since joining us last year, and his record of results speaks for itself. The Blancpain Endurance Series is one of the toughest on the calendar, so to compete so competitively, and take two victories is a huge result.”
“The recent performance in Bathurst with Tekno Autosports reinforced what we already knew about him, and underlined the level of talent and ability he has, and we are looking forward to getting back out on track this season and seeing what more we can achieve.”
