Motorsport: van Gisbergen always had the raw speed, says Jim Richards

The last New Zealander to win an Australian V8 title was Jim Richards in 1991. Many have come close since, including Greg Murphy, who finished second twice. This year's champion, Shane van Gisbergen, was also second in 2014 and has not been outside the top six since 2010.

Richards, ever a keen observer of the sport, tagged van Gisbergen as someone to watch a while ago. He was pleased another Kiwi has been able to emulate his success, albeit two-plus decades later.

"It's terrific that another Kiwi has got his hands on another V8 trophy," said Richards. "It's very hard for a young Kiwi to come over here, to get involved with a top team, and challenge for a title.

"There are so many good Aussie guys that people here have watched for years. Shane was quite successful early on in his career and that's what's bought him to where he is now.

"He always had raw speed but he had to control some things he did in a race. He used to make some silly mistakes early on that even he admitted to. At Teckno, he started to get better, and arriving at Red Bull, he's matured even more to join Jamie [Whincup] as one of the two best drivers in the category."

Triple Eight owner Roland Dane is man of few words, but they are always poignant.

Since taking over in 2003, he has steered the team to six Supercars titles and six Bathurst 1000 wins.

It wouldn't be too long a bow to draw to say Dane knows a thing or two about what makes a good driver and he was more than happy to snap up van Gisbergen.

"The guys [team] ran a great strategy for him and he did an awesome job," said Dane. "There was some pretty diabolical blocking going on at the end but he got the better of him [James Courtney].

"I'm proud, very proud of everyone in the team and it was awesome to wrap it up on Saturday."

Looking at the bigger picture and the category in general, having a Kiwi finally getting a championship title after 25 years can only bode well for next year and beyond.

There has always been a big Supercars following in New Zealand and next year's Pukekohe round should see one of the biggest crowds on record. There's nothing like cheering on a local lad who happens to be the defending champion.

Supercars CEO James Warburton praised van Gisbergen's achievement and what it means for the sport.

"Look, it's absolutely fantastic. Shane is such a flamboyant character and I thought Saturday just went to prove how good he is," said Warburton.

"From the sport's point of view, it's always great to see a new star being born. It's also great for our fans and will generate even more interest than we already have in New Zealand.

"We have a range of very good Kiwi drivers and next year at Pukekohe will be a great event."