Kiwi Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen opens up about racing, rally, family and his secrets to success. Video / NZ Herald
A crowd of eager motorsport fans gather outside the Red Bull Ampol racing garage on race day at the Townsville 500.
At least five mechanics are putting the final touches on the car stickered "97", checking it over once, twice, even three times before it's rolled out to pitlane.
But it's not what fans are here to see.
They're here to see the driver - a Supercars star.
Just moments before it's time to hit the grid, he appears from his trailer.
Everyone turns, locking their eyes on the two-time champion as he walks calmly through the crowd shying away from the spotlight, unfazed by the cameras or commotion that surround him.
He picks up his helmet, pulls it over his head, gets behind the wheel and drives off.
Shane van Gisbergen gears up to race. Photo / Mark Horsburgh / Red Bull Content Pool
In fact, van Gisbergen would only go on to break his composed gaze at the end of a dramatic finale to round off yet another successful weekend of racing.
With such a calm demeanour, it's hard to believe him when says he still gets nervous.
"Once I get into that race mode and have that 5-10 minutes before I jump in the car, my mind completely changes," he told Focus in an exclusive interview. "I get nervous a lot but it's a good feeling to have. You learn to enjoy it and use that energy to do the best job."
Embracing his nerves could well be one of the secrets to van Gisbergen's success.
In recent years, the 33-year-old has dominated the Supercars podium, winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2020 before claiming the top spot in 14 races in a historic 2021 campaign.
And he's on track to do it again. This year alone, he's so far won 11 races with a lead of 276 points over rival Anton De Pasquale.
But when asked about his recent rise to stardom on the track, van Gisbergen shrugs. "I'm better at winging it now," he says.
Growing up, van Gisbergen always knew he wanted to race cars.
The love he developed for racing almost certainly stemmed from watching his dad Robert rallying cars competitively.
"Dad was doing rallies and stuff when I was young and I'd always go to them, always go to Speedway," van Gisbergen says.
"He's been a huge influence. Obviously even still today, he provides a lot of advice."
Shane van Gisbergen celebrates with his father Robert on the podium. Photo / Mark Horsburgh / Red Bull Content Pool
Although not following directly in his father's footsteps to start, van Gisbergen has found his way to the gravel too.
Back in 2020, the well-versed Kiwi driver took on rallying duties in his father's Ford Escort during the City of Auckland Rally and won the Battle of Jacks Ridge rally the following day before recently confirming he'll start in the Rally New Zealand later this year.
The transition from Supercars to rally van Gisbergen says has been challenging, but an experience he's loving.
"Firstly, you jump in the car on the other side, it's left-hand drive and then you have a co-driver with you the whole time and you're not on a circuit. You're not just doing laps, you're doing stages," van Gisbergen explains.
"As you're driving the co-driver is reading notes off a paper, what type of corner is coming and how to approach it. So it's quite different.
"I can drive the car ok, but listening to someone and processing that information while driving, normally we get spoken to on the radios and I don't like it, just let me drive, but in a rally car, they're talking to you constantly. So it's been a huge adjustment."
Driving in front of a Kiwi crowd was another major aspect of the upcoming Rally New Zealand that enticed van Gisbergen.
It'll be one of the few chances he gets to race here this year following the return of the Supercars to Pukekohe in September.
If he could spend more time on this side of the ditch, he would, with the champ's roots still deeply grounded in New Zealand - even though admitting he's "picked up a bit of an Aussie accent" that he "fricken hates".
"We haven't raced at Puke unfortunately for a while," he says. "I miss home, miss being able to travel back and forth every week.
"Fingers crossed, it all happens this year and we can go there and race again."
As for his long-terms goals in Rally, there aren't really any.
Nor are there any set in stone for the rest of van Gisbergen's Supercars career.
But that's not always how it's been, as van Gisbergen admits his approach to racing has changed dramatically over the years.
Shane van Gisbergen races during stop 7 of the Supercars Championship in Townsville. Photo / Mark Horsburgh / Red Bull Content Pool
"It used to used to be all goals and fully focused and stuff like that," he says. "Now I just enjoy it.
"It is a lot more intense now but I've focused a lot more. I watched all of last year's races learnt all the setups, what worked last year, and what we've done since then ... So when we get to race I can just focus on driving and everything's already implanted and I just go.
"I keep it low stress and fun ... I kind of just go with it."
Focussing just on racing has become more challenging in recent years with van Gisbergen's profile exploding in the motorsport world.
He'd rather without the cameras, interviews and pressure of a strong social media presence.
But his low-key attitude is what's arguably made him so relatable to fans around the world.
"I just try and be myself," he explains. "I try to do the media stuff and whatever, but I feel more comfortable when I just put the helmet on and don't have to talk to anyone and just do my thing.
"Everyone writes the same stuff. They do the same Instagram or whatever. I feel like you have to stand out, you have to do something different and try and be loud in different ways."
When asked what it is he thinks he's done to stand out, he shrugs. "That's for other people to judge.
"I'm just a Supercars driver and that's what I love doing."
