Motorsport: Team Kiwi driver makes V8 debut

Team Kiwi Racing are delighted with the debut of 18-year-old driver Shane Van Gisbergen in testing conditions in his first drive in a V8 Supercar at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney yesterday.

He was 20th in the first race, 13th in race two and 24th in race three.

The weather was awful for most of the day, with most teams giving their wet-weather tires a spin.

The best of the New Zealanders was Steven Richards in second -- his first podium in a Ford since his switch at the start of the year -- with namesake Jason Richards (Tasman Motorsport) seventh, teammate Greg Murphy 18th, Simon Wills (Team BOc Ford) 20th and Fabian Coulthard (Sirromet Wines Holden) 22nd.

Holden young gun Lee Holdsworth won the race by 6.3 seconds from Garth Tander in second and Russell Ingall third.

- AAP