Van Gisbergen wins thrilling Bathurst 12 Hour

V8 Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen has stormed to victory in the Tekno Autosports McLaren at the 2016 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

After setting a record lap time yesterday in qualifying, van Gisbergen again showed he was the fastest man at Mount Panorama as he took the chequered flag in the grueling endurance event.

Starting on pole position and recording an astounding 2min01.567 early in the race – just 0.281sec off his recording breaking qualifying lap yesterday – the Kiwi driver set a cracking pace, leading the race for the first 74 laps.

The lead changed hands several times throughout the day before van Gisbergen brought it home for Tekno. 

“Thanks to the team the team has been fastest all weekend so to win that on strategy and then pace, it’s amazing,” van Gisbergen said.  

Sharing the McLaren with his former V8 Supercars team boss Jonathon Webb, the pair put the heartbreak of the 2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 behind them, when van Gisbergen was unable to start his Commodore in pit lane while on-track to win the race. Alvaro Parente completed the line-up for TEKNO today. 

“Thanks to the guys, thanks to Jonathon and Alvaro. It was a big heart in the mouth moment when it stopped earlier but she hung on for the rest of the weekend. Awesome.” 

Van Gisbergen held off a fast finishing Katsumasa Chiyo from Nissan, which narrowly failed to repeat its 2015 win. The Bentley team of Steven Kane, Guy Smith and Matt Bell finished third.

“We had them covered so every time he did a lap I just stuck the knife in and did the same,” van Gisbergen said.

“This is the car I raced in Europe, so she’s a beauty.”

Former V8 Supercars champion Rick Kelly also stood on the podium, representing Australia in Nissan’s factory entry. 

It was the perfect start to the year for van Gisbergen who raced at the Daytona 24 last weekend and will line up for his new V8 Supercars team Red Bull Racing Australia in the season opener at Clipsal 500 Adelaide next month.

A record crowd of 37,079 attended this year's Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in the first round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.