Van Gisbergen cements longevity status with 2023 wins
Victories in 2023 have seen Shane van Gisbergen become just the sixth driver to win in 11 or more consecutive seasons.
Van Gisbergen has raced to victory lane twice already in 2023 with wins in Newcastle and Melbourne.
The Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet driver has now won in the last 11 consecutive seasons dating back to 2013.
Van Gisbergen won his first race for Stone Brothers Racing in 2011, but went winless in 2012 before joining Tekno Autosports in 2013.
He has won at least two races in every season since, including a record 21 victories last season.
Van Gisbergen won in each year he raced for Tekno Autosports between 2013 and 2015, and has won in each year since joining Triple Eight in 2016.
The New Zealander is set to record 500 race starts later this season, and is likely to add more wins to his record.
Driver longevity isn’t new in Supercars, but winning longevity is hard to come by — only five other drivers have won in 10 or more straight seasons.
Jamie Whincup’s record of 16 straight seasons winning a race, between 2006 and 2021, will be hard to beat.
Craig Lowndes won in 12 straight seasons between 2005 and 2006. Whincup and Lowndes’ streaks were both solely with Triple Eight.
Van Gisbergen is one of four drivers — along with Mark Skaife, Mark Winterbottom and Peter Brock — to have won in 11 straight seasons.
Skaife tasted victory every year between 1998 and 2008, and Brock between 1976 and 1986.
Winterbottom’s entire win span, between 2006 and 2016, came with what is now known as Tickford Racing.
The only other driver to win in 10 or more consecutive seasons was Russell Ingall, who won in 10 straight years between 1996 and 2005.
Van Gisbergen has won every year since 2013
Ingall won as a rookie in 1996, and won in his championship year in 2005 — but never won again.
For reference, Garth Tander (2005-2011), Greg Murphy (1999-2005) and Glenn Seton (1992-1998) had best streaks of seven seasons.
Allan Moffat (1970-1974), John Bowe (1995-1999) and Scott McLaughlin (2016-2020) had bests of five.
James Courtney has had two four-year runs (2008-2011 and 2013-2016), with Dick Johnson’s best run also four years (1987-1990).
When it comes to longest win spans, Brock’s 25-year (1973-1997) and Lowndes’ 23-year (1996-2018) spans will take some beating.
Van Gisbergen will need to win a race in 2035 should he match Brock’s incredible span — by then, he will be 46!
The Kiwi is third in the points, 86 points behind Brodie Kostecki, heading to the next round in Perth.
The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint on April 28-30.
