Motorsport: SVG looks overseas in 2018

Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates winning pole position in Adelaide. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi Supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen enjoyed the benefits of a choc-full schedule last year on the way to winning his maiden Supercars crown.

He won the Blancpain Endurance Series in Europe with McLaren as well as featuring in a number of other racing categories that he was able to squeeze in around his Supercars schedule. The 28-year-old believes the additional seat time and racing miles had the Red Bull Holden Racing driver in top racing form.

But a clash of schedules made that task a lot harder in 2017 and van Gisbergen has been limited to only a handful of extra racing adventures.

Van Gisbergen was delighted when he saw the 2018 Supercars schedule and realized that there aren't as many clashes and that the possibility of racing overseas next year is very much open.

"I'm shopping around. I've contacted some people and we'll see what happens," van Gisbergen told Supercars.com of his overseas ambitions for 2018.

"Hopefully I can get something for Daytona, I'd love to do that again, and ideally I can do all four North American endurance races.

"The calendar means doing Blancpain is possible again, too. I don't know what's happening at McLaren, but I'll see if there's any interest there.

"I like the European racing as well, it's tough and intense, and Spa [24 Hours] is obviously the highlight there. It would be great to go back.

"Whatever we do it can't be at the expense of Supercars, so I'll need to sit down with RD [Red Bull team boss Roland Dane] and look at the travel and how it'd work."

The Kiwi is currently fifth in the championship standings heading into this weekend's round on the streets of Surfers Paradise and is an outside chance of defending his title.

He returned to competitive drifting last weekend, taking part in the World Time Attack at Sydney Motorsport Park and will line-up in track owner Tony Quinn's McLaren GT3 car at next month's Highlands 501 near Cromwell.