Whincup: New van Gisbergen deal a 'huge honour'

Jamie Whincup has labelled Shane van Gisbergen’s contract extension with Red Bull Ampol Racing a “huge honour”, saying the Kiwi’s new deal is proof of the team’s performance.

Van Gisbergen put to bed suggestions he would leave Supercars with a new multi-year extension with Triple Eight.

It takes van Gisbergen into at least the end of 2025, which is the 10th season of the driver’s tenure with the team.

The Kiwi joined Triple Eight in 2016, and has won 66 races and three championships in Red Bull colours.

Van Gisbergen had his reservations about a new deal amid uncertainty about the Gen3 product, but it took just two rounds for the 33-year-old to ink a new deal.

For Whincup, his star driver’s new deal is in itself an extension of the team’s hard work both on and off the track.

“We pride ourselves at Triple Eight to keep making gains and keep improving as a team – we certainly aren’t box-tickers,” Triple Eight boss Whincup said.

"As a group, we’ve all been working flat out behind the scenes to ensure that we keep the trajectory that we’ve built over the past 15 years, and in some regard Shane’s extension endorses that work.

“If the best driver in the country wants to continue in this place, then it shows that we’re doing a good job.

“The highest priority for me is having drivers that put everything on the line and showcase their extreme skill.

"Everyone that buys a ticket to a Supercars event or watches it on television wants to see drivers who put their bodies on the line and take risks to do extraordinary things, and that’s exactly what SVG does.

"You always have to respect the athletes in the arena, or on the field, or on the track – the ones out there giving their all.

"The day you don’t respect that is the day that you don’t respect sport. That’s what we respect him for – giving his absolute all, week in and week out."

Van Gisbergen is chasing a third straight title and fourth in eight seasons with Triple Eight.

The two-time Bathurst winner is just 86 points behind series leader Brodie Kostecki despite losing 150 points over the Race 1 disqualification.

Still, van Gisbergen winning that race — the first of the Gen3 era — in a canter was evidence that he is still the form driver in Supercars.

SVG has won 66 races with Triple Eight, and two already in 2023

For Whincup, it sets the bar high for his team to match van Gisbergen’s level of performance — the Aucklander has won 38 of the last 71 races dating back to Bathurst 2020.

“It’s always great news when you have the best driver in the country deciding to put his faith in the team at Triple Eight Race Engineering to give him a fast, reliable race car to showcase his skills,” Whincup said.

"It’s a huge honour that Shane has chosen us to continue that relationship.

"We will of course continue to invest in him, his support crew, engineering and mechanics, to give him the best equipment to remain competitive in the sport.

“We as a team need the best drivers in the country to showcase our skills.

"At the end of the day, we’re an engineering company and we pride ourselves on building the best race cars and componentry and representing ourselves in the highest regard.

"One of those factors is that we need someone to get behind the wheel and showcase that work we do and represent the brand and our partners in the highest possible light, and we believe Shane is the best person for that.”

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint on April 28-30.