Shane van Gisbergen shares insights from his NASCAR journey, reflecting on his progress in the Cup Series and his experiences on oval tracks. He discusses the challenges of adapting to NASCAR's unique racing style, his thoughts on Bathurst, and the importance of learning from fellow racers like Marcus Ambrose. The episode features fan-submitted questions, covering topics from his racing techniques to his off-season plans. SVG's enthusiasm for racing and his connection to fans shine through, making for an engaging conversation.
Shane van Gisbergen is back on the pod and he tackles your questions.
With the NASCAR community raving about his performance this year (especially on road courses) we get his thoughts on the progress he’s making on ovals.
Will he do some Sprintcar Racing or even the Chilli Bowl during the off season and has he nearly pulled a ‘hammy’ kicking that Rugby ball into the crowd.
SVG managed to watch Bathurst around his Trackhouse commitments in Vegas and he offers up some observations on that classic edition of the Great Race.
And why he’s wound back a bit of the SIM race prep but cranked up his views of onboard videos. Shane has made a few appearances on the Garage over the years but this conversation is one of their best. Don’t miss it…
Head to Rusty's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and give us your feedback and let us know who you want to hear from on Rusty's Garage
"...with data, SMT data it's called, you get to look at everyone's data, and yeah, I get more out of that..."
SMT data is a type of information collected from sensors in a race car that shows how well the car is performing. Teams use this data to make improvements to the car's setup and handling.
SMT data refers to 'Sensor Management Technology' data, which is used in motorsports to analyze vehicle performance by collecting data from various sensors during a race or practice session. This data helps teams understand how the car behaves under different conditions and can inform setup changes.
"...at the Roval, and are the Hall of Fame going to do something with that..."
A Roval is a type of racetrack that has both circular parts like an oval and twisty parts like a road course. It makes racing more exciting because drivers have to handle different kinds of turns.
A Roval is a hybrid racetrack that combines both road course and oval track elements, allowing for a unique racing experience. This type of track is popular in NASCAR and other racing series, as it challenges drivers with a mix of high-speed turns and technical sections.
"That leads us, I guess, to Bathurst. Have you in the midst of your busy schedule, have you had a chance to watch that amazing race?"
Bathurst is a famous car race in Australia that takes place on a difficult track. Many people watch it because it's exciting and features some of the best drivers.
Bathurst refers to the Bathurst 1000, a prestigious endurance race held annually in Australia. It is known for its challenging mountain circuit and attracts top teams and drivers from various racing categories.
"...he got the five-second penalty, you know, I thought Cooper just turned down, whether he was unaware or he was trying to take position..."
In racing, if a driver breaks a rule, they can get a time penalty. A five-second penalty means they have to wait an extra five seconds before continuing the race, which can hurt their chances of winning.
A five-second penalty is a common sanction in motorsport where a driver must serve a time penalty during a pit stop or at the end of the race. It is usually given for infractions such as unsafe driving or causing collisions.
"...Talladega, I'm watching Ryan Blaney, he's probably the best super speedway racer, and just trying to understand how he moves at the right time..."
Super speedways are very large racetracks where cars can go really fast. They are designed to help drivers race at high speeds without losing control.
A super speedway is a type of oval racetrack that is typically over 2 miles in length, designed for high-speed racing. These tracks allow for higher speeds and feature banked turns, which help cars maintain speed through the corners.
"...he wants to know if you would be up for an Indy 500 at some stage. Ooh, I don't know about that..."
The Indy 500 is a famous car race that happens every year in Indiana. It's one of the biggest and most important races in the world, where cars go very fast around a big track.
The Indy 500, officially known as the Indianapolis 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious events in motorsport, part of the IndyCar Series, and is known for its high speeds and large crowds.
"...there was one point in time a few months ago where they were talking about a doubleheader in Mexico..."
A doubleheader is when two races happen back-to-back on the same day or weekend. It means fans get to see more racing in a shorter time.
In motorsport, a doubleheader refers to a race event where two races are held on the same weekend or day. This format allows fans to see more racing action and gives drivers additional opportunities to compete.
"...I would have loved to have done a doubleheader on a road course, that would be great..."
A road course is a type of racetrack that has many turns and is made for cars to race on regular roads instead of just going in circles. It makes racing more challenging and exciting.
A road course is a type of racetrack that features a series of turns and is designed for cars to race on paved roads rather than ovals. These tracks can vary in length and complexity, providing different challenges for drivers.
"...a couple of people have asked about rallying too, you enjoyed dabbling in that, it was more than a dabble, I sense it might be for later life, but is there still a want to play there maybe again one day?"
Rallying is a type of car racing that takes place on different types of roads, including dirt and gravel. Drivers race against the clock and often have to navigate tricky courses, making it a unique and challenging sport.
Rallying is a form of motorsport where drivers navigate through a series of timed stages on public or private roads, often in varying weather conditions. It emphasizes skill and precision over speed, with cars typically modified for performance and durability.
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Welcome to the Motorsport Brief, a catch up with Shane Van Gisbergen, which is basically
dedicated to you, the fans.
G'day everyone, Rusty here with you for a short cast chat that we recorded in the past
week with SVG, where we put your questions to him, so thank you from the top here for
responding to my call out on socials, we haven't done that for a while and we had a really
good response.
So I won't get to all of the questions, I just couldn't fit them in, but we do try and
cover a few reoccurring themes or topics, and even though he's a racers racer, there
are some fun ones in there too.
A quick reminder about our latest feature ep with respected commentator, author and
PR guru John Smiles, who in some ways set the tone, paved the way in a motorsport broadcasting
sense.
He was with Will Hagen on the ABC back in the day with a very young Neil Crompton, he
worked with the legendary Evan Green too.
From getting elbowed by Kimi Raikkonen in the Albert Park pit lane, to the streaker
in the back of an interview with Wayne Gardner, both are very funny tales.
There's the deal that he stitched together for the legendary Murray Walker to tackle
Targa, and reporting on the London to Sydney, a famous event, but he got to do it from some
very sketchy locations too.
Let's get to Shane Van Gisbergen now, he beamed in from North Carolina where he was going
back to back in some ways, from a breakfast TV cross to home in New Zealand, but home
is now in the United States obviously, and then straight into talking with us.
You'll get a sense of the great space that he is in right now, clearly Trackhouse is
making progress, and that is complimented by his almost insatiable thirst for knowledge
of what it takes to win at the highest level of NASCAR, and grasping all of its uniqueness.
I hope you enjoy it.
Hello mate, it's nice to catch up.
Yeah, good to see you again.
Great to see you too.
Can I open the batting with Denny Hamlin, right?
Spoke very recently on his podcast, greatest road course racer of all time, and I know
you don't chase headlines like that, that's not your thing, but to think that the sport,
the constituents in your first full year of Cup, mate, congratulations, that is a huge
achievement.
Yeah, it's a pretty big thing for him to say, but obviously I don't think of myself like
that.
We've had an amazing run and still got a long way to go, but yeah, pretty cool that they
think that of me, and most of the guys I speak to have pretty good things to say, so yeah,
it's been an amazing year, but I can't take all the credit, like my car's obviously pretty
decent as well to be able to do that too.
Talking with Lee Diffie in the lead up to this, he's a great mate of mine, as you know,
and he just reflected on the last three Oval performances for you, I mean, Las Vegas, what
was it, you qualified 13th there, running comfortably in the top 10, running there
at the front legitimately, Shane, Kansas top 10, it feels like a switch has been flicked,
is that an accurate feeling, and if so, why?
Yeah, I don't know, certainly we've had an upward trajectory this whole year, but we've
started at the very bottom, you know, we were genuinely running in the mid-30s at the start
of the year on these types of tracks, and it's just because of me, you know, my experience
and not knowing how to drive on these Ovals, and it's just taken time, I felt like I started
from zero again, like the cars are so different to Xfinity, and yeah, it was tough, starting
building up, and yeah, we've gone from being in the 30s to the 20s, and now the last few
weeks we've been at the back end of the top 10 and top 15, it's been awesome, and qualifying's
really improved, and it's just that comfort level, going back to these tracks for the
second and third time, you know, I just get better and better and know what to expect,
so it's certainly been good racing up near the front, and I still have a lot to learn,
but I feel like every weekend I'm making steps forward and learning with the team, it's been
really cool.
I reckon your smile there, because we can see each other for this chat, says so much,
Shane, can I bring you to a question from Bob Stevens on Facebook, who says, how far
off do you kind of believe that your first true Oval win is, do you feel like that's
close?
Oh, yeah, to win one genuinely on speed is still a while to come, but you know, there's
lots of ways to get fluky wins, but you obviously want to get a proper one, and you know, I
can see where it is though now, like I get glimpses, you know, I feel, I can feel like
the tyre and feel the sliding a lot more, I feel what the car's doing underneath me,
and I know what it needs to feel like, and you know, I can string two or three laps together
instead of, you know, 40, you know, I just have these glimpses, and that gives me that
indication and that hope, you know, and I can feel how to do it now, I just have to
keep stringing it together, and it's coming, but I know that I have to be realistic, and
I'm still a wee way away from winning, but I can see it happening, you know, one day,
but I don't know how far away that's going to be.
Okay, you still love the sim racing clearly, but am I right in saying that you have perhaps
pulled that back a little, and that you're getting quite a lot now out of just watching
the in-car video?
Yeah, so we, our sim goes through phases, some tracks are really accurate and amazing,
some are not, you know, and I go to these tracks after spending hours on the sim, and
you only get, what do we get, we get 20 laps of practice, one set of tires, and you have
this idea in your head that you're going to go into a corner, and this is what's going
to happen with the setup you've got, because you run the exact same setup in the sim as
what you are in real life, and you just have all this preconceived idea in your head from
the simulator, and get on track, and all that prep just goes straight out the window, so
yeah, I've been studying more with film, with data, SMT data it's called, you get to look
at everyone's data, and yeah, I get more out of that, and I have more of an open mind,
and less expectation of what the car is going to feel like, and yeah, it seems to be working
for me the last few months, and I think we've improved, and that's what I tell the engineers
anyway, so they don't keep calling me to come do sim.
Awesome, just before we started to record today, Peyton, who works with you at Trackhouse,
who does a fantastic job, was sort of indicating over her shoulder, there was a tire from the
burnout, I think at the Roval, and are the Hall of Fame going to do something with that,
that's awesome.
Yeah, the Hall of Fame that they have in Charlotte is amazing, like how they have all the old
cars, and they rotate new stuff, I think they've got some of my Chicago wins there, and everything,
it's really cool walking through there, and yeah, awesome, if anyone ever comes to Charlotte,
you got to go through there, like what they do, and showcase for the sport, it's an amazing
place.
Awesome, David Seville on Facebook, as a fan, I get frustrated when you get turned while
you're in a good position in NASCAR, what's that been like, getting used to kind of acceptable
contact in that pond, relative to other places that you've played in racing in the past?
Well, yeah, I'm on the other side of it now, because it's very different to what we see
at home, you know, like, it's good and bad, like I've gotten away with a few, but even
on the weekend before at the Roval, I had some contact with Kyle, accidental, and he
just started hitting me back, and I passed him, and he hit me off, and I'm like, okay,
I deserve that, you know, I should have been better with my movements, but it created this
amazing race, and you know, shake hands after and carry on, I think it self-polices itself,
like you never see anything really egregious, like, you know, I don't feel like I've ever
been crashed properly on purpose, I might have, I don't know, but you just, everything
seems to be in the states, and you just get on with it the next week, you know, I've wrecked
a couple of guys by accident, and you just say sorry and move on, I think it's an amazing
system how it, you know, it polices itself, and it creates good racing, yeah.
Awesome.
I saw Marcus Ambrose at Bathurst, he was in great form, mate, can you believe it, he and
Greg Murphy stayed in the same house over the weekend, 20 years on, which is crazy.
I can't believe that.
Yeah, they did, they did.
Is he still in touch with you, mate, he's been great along the way, I know we talked
about that when we caught up last year, but you've maintained contact, I think, haven't
you?
Yeah, every now and then, a lot less this year, I used to pester him every week last
year, especially when I was going to new tracks, and just amazing, you know, and some of the
stuff he talked about and described the cars, you know, I haven't really felt that until
this year, you know, like how you sort of just slump in the seat and let the car kind
of do what it does underneath you, and it's taken me a while to feel that, making you
just relax in the seat and let the car do the work, and ignore all the sliding and
let the air take over, it's just how he described that stuff, you know, I just was mind-blowing,
and now I'm starting to feel it and get that things, you know, and he was an amazing, almost
coach, you know, and just what to look for, and what an amazing guy, and how good, but
also how well-respected he is here, everyone loves him, everyone speaks highly of him,
it's so cool, you know, you say the name Marcus Ambrose here, and everyone just lights up
and has good memories of him.
That's fantastic, mate.
Michael Roberts, who I think is from Hawke's Bay, where I sort of base myself nowadays,
have you come close to pulling a hammy, kicking the ball into the crowd, and where did that
idea come from?
Yeah, I probably should stretch before I do it, I just, always so excited, I just boot
the thing, but yeah, it doesn't, you see the pictures after, it doesn't look too comfortable,
I got my leg right up, but yeah, it's a fun thing to do, we at Trackhouse all have our
own celebrations, Daniel, he smashes a pinata, Ross smashes a watermelon, and then I thought,
you know, someone came up with the idea, we'll kick a rugby ball, and I think it's perfect
for, you know, takes, pays homage to my heritage, I guess, and I'm proud of where I come from,
so pretty cool to kick a ball into the stands.
We are not done yet on this edition of the Short Car, stick around, more with SVG in
just a few moments.
You're listening to the Motorsport Brief, keep an eye out in the coming weeks for a
new feature ep with Colin Bond, too, Australian touring car great who was equally as talented
in a rally car, and we've also recorded one with Motorcycling Australia CEO Peter Doyle,
we don't often do administrators, there is a couple in the library, but Peter's story
extends well beyond that, with successful stints as a team leader in the United States
and in World Superbikes.
Let's get back to the Convo now with Shane Van Gisbergen.
Lee Rasmussen asks, do you on that basis follow any other sports, or are you just all about
racing?
Maybe there's no time to do that.
No, I try and watch American football, but it's a little tough, that's all everyone talks
about here, especially this time of year, the college stuff on Saturday, NFL on Sunday,
my life is racing, we race every single week, and I study as much as I can, and I'm all
about racing.
Awesome, mate.
That leads us, I guess, to Bathurst.
Have you in the midst of your busy schedule, have you had a chance to watch that amazing
race?
Yeah, so being in Vegas, the time zone was a little better, so yeah, I haven't been really
engaged this year like I was last year, but obviously I watched Bathurst again, and I
would say that they're glad it rained after all the shit in the lead-up, and it saved
them from a lot, and they had a pretty good race in the end, and the race was amazing.
I'm pretty pissed off for Jimmy, I thought his pass was good, and pretty unfair, he got
the five-second penalty, you know, I thought Cooper just turned down, whether he was unaware
or he was trying to take position, I'm not sure, but I'm very gutted for James, I don't
think that should have been a penalty, but anyway, I'm very happy for Matt Payne, obviously
a Kiwi, and then my mate Garth, you know, he taught me how to win that race, you know,
and I won it twice with Garth, and then to see him win it again, like, just so stoked,
you know, it was a pretty big risk for him, well, not a risk, but a big challenge for
him to go to another team that wasn't really established, and now they're a competitive
team and a Bathurst winning team, I'm so stoked for, you know, Garth, and Shippey,
Couchy, all those guys at Grove, it's amazing to see them win it.
Lovely, mate.
What did Garth teach you that intrigues me, or what aspect of the race did sort of maybe
sink in from him then?
Ah, I don't want to give too much away, but, you know, just, I don't know, just how to
be more patient, just let it come to you, and, you know, just be more relaxed on the
Thursday when the car's not right, you know, because the track's going to be very different
to Sunday, and, you know, he'd won it before a few times, and just, you know, just know
how it feels in the lead-up, just what you want from your car, you know, there's some
pretty critical corners there, you know, turn one, the cutting, and the elbow, probably
the three most important corners, and that's where all the time is, and just getting your
car right at those corners, and then just being patient, you know, you don't have to
be the hero over the top and be the fastest guy over the top, they get the headlines,
but, you know, ultimately, that's not where you pass people or defend from people, so,
yeah, just lots of little things that added up, and, yeah, he, ah, once we cracked that
race once, I was quick there every year since.
Awesome.
Ryan McGregor, his daughter Indy and son Austin, they ask, would a current-gen NASCAR at Bathurst,
what would that be like, would it be a good thing in your mind?
Well, I think it'd be awesome, yeah, probably wouldn't, ah, probably wouldn't be as fast
as the supercars, but it would sound a whole lot cooler, and look a whole lot cooler, and
probably piss off the Aussie nanny state with no mufflers, I'd be all for it.
Oh, cool, cool, um, Austin Sendrick is obviously coming this way in the not-too-distant future,
I don't know whether time has permitted you to speak with him, maybe there's been a conversation
there, what's it going to be like for him going that direction from NASCAR?
Yeah, I've been asked that a bit, I really don't know, you know, his, the things he has
going for him is that there's three races, you know, so Friday he can sort of ease into
it and, you know, he gets a qualifying and a race, Saturday I think he gets the same,
and by Sunday that should be his money day, you know, he gets a, he gets his third qualifying
and then, you know, the big race, the one that matters, so he gets a lot of practice,
lots of sets of tyres, so as long as he's patient, keeps it straight until Sunday, I
think Sunday you'll see him get a good result, because I think he's a really good driver,
but it's end of the season, you know, everyone's tuned up, they've just come off the street
circuit, I think it's the Gold Coast before Adelaide, and then, you know, end of season,
everyone's on the edge, so he's going to be up against it, but I'm really intrigued to
see how he'll go.
Tom on Facebook, is there a program in place for you during the NASCAR off-season to maybe
work on some things that you perhaps feel are little shortcomings, is there things you're
going to work on over the break?
Yeah, we will do some more sim and stuff in the break, and then I just got to study more,
like I get all my, you get everyone's on board, you get everyone's data, and I just have to
go through it, you know, so I'll take some time off, but then I'll just be studying and
even for this week, Talladega, I'm watching Ryan Blaney, he's probably the best super
speedway racer, and just trying to understand how he moves at the right time, and gets the
flow of the race going, and reads the race so much better than most people can, and he
always seems to find himself in the right position, and he's got a very fast car, but
it's understanding how he puts himself there, you know, I can get up front quite a lot in
a super speedway race, and I'm pretty decent at finding my way to the front, but once I'm
up there, people get rid of me, you know, they put me in a bad spot, and I get forced
to the back, so I just need to learn off him how to read it, so it's stuff like that I'll
be studying over the off-season, just to make myself better.
Awesome, mate, that's a great insight. Here's one from Will Buxton, who's Drive2Survive,
F1 land now, IndyCar commentator and host on X or Twitter, he wants to know if you would
be up for an Indy 500 at some stage.
Ooh, I don't know about that, I actually, there was one point in time a few months ago
where they were talking about a doubleheader in Mexico, and I was rubbing my hands at that,
I would have loved to have done a doubleheader on a roadhorse, that would be great, but Indy
500, that's difficult, you hear Kyle talk about it, especially this year, you know,
it was minute by minute, all the delays, and everything had to go perfect to get himself
back to Charlotte, so it seems like a lot of unnecessary stress.
Okay, Stu Russell on Facebook, any more talk of Chili Bowl or sprint car racing, or is
it just as you've described before, just for now at least, all about NASCAR?
Yeah, probably not Chili Bowl, I'd love to go watch that, I struggle to fit in a midget,
but yeah, it's a shame about the sprint car stuff in New Zealand with Western Springs
and all that.
Yeah, I don't know if I'll race this year, I'm still working that out, but yeah, I'd
love to do some, I love sprint car racing, I had a ball last year, I had an awesome team
around me and great people, we had fun doing, I think we did 7 or 8 races, so yeah, TBD
if we're going to do that this year.
One final one before we wrap this up, mate, a couple of people have asked about rallying
too, you enjoyed dabbling in that, it was more than a dabble, I sense it might be for
later life, but is there still a want to play there maybe again one day?
Oh, I would love to do more rally, that's one of my most favourite disciplines of racing,
and I don't know, I don't know if I regret starting too late, but I wish I had found
it earlier, you know, I always had that love for it, but yeah, it was fun trying to raise
the money myself, put a car together, put a team together and then sharing those weeks
with dad, and yeah, because my dad is a rally diehard, and doing those rallies with him,
and yeah, just like the first rally I won was the Far North rally, and he won it in
1982 or something, you know, and yeah, he was crying at the finish line, like just those
moments in rally, getting to go with dad, and you know, him trying to teach me how to
drive and stuff, like I had so much fun doing rallies, so yeah, when I finish here in NASCAR,
it's hard to do other stuff, because with wrecks every week, I'm definitely trying to
put together a rally programme, that's for sure.
Cool, finally, are you enjoying life there, you seem well settled Shane, your wife looks
like she's got a menagerie or a small zoo happening, she seems happy too.
Yeah, yeah, it's been amazing, you know, I miss home, I miss being so far from New Zealand,
it's pretty shitty, but yeah, I get to spend time there, lots of friends come over and
hang out, come to races, so it's been okay, but the racing, I really, really needed the
change and I love it, like the last two years have been awesome, and especially reading
all that crap on Thursday and Friday at Bathurst, I'm really happy I'm here.
Okay, I didn't even bother to enter in that conversation mate, because I don't want clickbait
stuff to come out of that, I just wanted to talk today about what you're doing, and I'm
so pleased that you're happy mate, as we wrap this up, what you have achieved in, you know,
fundamentally 65 oval races, let's call it that, you're regularly in the top 10, mate,
the best is yet to come, thank you very much for talking to us today.
Thank you, and then thanks for all the coverage too, like it's amazing the support that I
get and read from over here, and I say it all the time, but when a Kiwi or an Australian
goes overseas, they just get so much more support, you know, you see the guys in Formula
E, Formula 1 or IndyCar, it's amazing how people support us as Kiwis overseas, so yeah,
thanks for supporting us and giving us all the time.
I'll leave you with this thought, Michael B says on X that it was really cool having
Trackhouse merch at Bathurst this year, he bought his 11-year-old a cap, he wore it proudly
around the mountain all weekend, and he's been an SVG fan since he was 5, so there you
go mate, it's working on this side too.
Oh, that's awesome, thank you.
How good is he?
We seem to keep having brilliant chats with Shane, and I'm so pleased that we could get
him back on the pod again, and we did that with the help of Trackhouse, as well as colleagues
at Red Bull New Zealand, thank you.
We have a short cast out in the weeks ahead, with Joanne Cicconti too, one of the Aussie
teenagers in F1 Academy.
Final round coming up there on the support bill at Vegas F1, gonna be huge, and she impressed
at Singapore last time out, I'll let you know when we release that.
Bye for now.
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