KEY POINTS:
Young Shane Van Gisbergen took a calculated gamble to win the final race of the Toyota Racing Series and with it the coveted New Zealand Motor Cup.
An outstanding overtaking manoeuvre enabled the 17-year-old St Kentigern College student to outwit Andy Knight, of Christchurch, who had to make do with second place.
Knight outgunned polesitter Van Gisbergen into the first turn at Pukekohe but a beautifully calculated move under brakes into the hairpin saw the rookie regain the lead and hold it in the 16-lap event.
"Andy is good off the starts and got me off the line but I managed to get a good run on him as we headed on to the back straight," Van Gisbergen said.
"Everything was cold - the brakes, the tyres, the track. But I knew I was going to have to do it on the first lap.
"I think Andy was taking it a bit easy on cold tyres so I just put my foot down and went for it.
"I went into the hairpin deep on braking but just locked up the front tyres and had to go down a gear to get round. It's hard taking a tight line like that but I did it. It felt really awesome to pull off the move."
Van Gisbergen was the dominant force over three days at Pukekohe, setting the fastest lap time in qualifying, the fastest lap in the first 12-lap race, then putting the sensational move on Knight in the last race.
The only flaw in an otherwise perfect weekend was in the first race when, while lying second, Van Gisbergen was forced to pit with tyre damage. He rejoined the race and finished in 14th place.
Knight guided his car to the final round-eight win with a first and second place. Third was overall Toyota series champion Daniel Gaunt (Auckland).
Earl Bamber (Wanganui) had a strong showing for fourth ahead of Matthew Hamilton (Christchurch) and Mark Russ (Auckland).
Christina Orr (Whakatane), Nelson Hartley (Palmerston North), Ken Smith (Manukau City) and Daynom Templeman (Auckland) completed the top-10 placegetters.
Van Gisbergen has been a major force since starting his motor-racing career three seasons ago, winning the rookie of the year award in the Formula First class in 2005, the New Zealand Formula Ford championship outright last year, and now finishing second overall in his rookie year in the Toyota series.
The teenager, who had his start in Quarter Midgets and ATV Motocross, says driving for the International Motorsport team has been everything he expected - and more.
"I always knew the series was going to be a lot tougher than Formula Ford and it took a while to learn the cars," he says. "But every meeting I got better and better and now I'm at the front of the field - which hopefully will be good for me for next season."
There had been chassis problems for Gaunt - the man to beat everywhere else and a well-deserved winner of the Toyota Racing Series title - who was quick to congratulate his team-mate. "The race was a little bit of a struggle," Gaunt said. "We just didn't have the outright speed. Full credit and a job well done to Shane for finishing second in the championship and winning the Motor Cup. As a team we've got a lot to be happy about."
Championship front runner Ben Harford (Wellington) finished third in the first race but tyre damage put him out of race two. His outright third place is intact. Aucklander Ben Crighton's car failed to start for the warm-up lap, so he ended a tough season on a disappointing note.
Final Toyota championship points after eight rounds: Daniel Gaunt (1448), Shane Van Gisbergen (1120), Ben Harford (1025), Andy Knight (1015), Christina Orr (750), Daynom Templeman (717), Earl Bamber (600), Nelson Hartley (566), Ben Clucas (554), Nic Jordan (541).
