Van Gisbergen wins Jacks Ridge sprint with super drive

Shane van Gisbergen
Shane van Gisbergen
Supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen produced a stunning drive yesterday to win the inaugural Battle of Jacks Ridge rally sprint in Whitford after beating Tauranga’s Phil Campbell in the head-to-head final.

The 2020 Bathurst winner had been fast all day, showcasing his talent behind the wheel of any car, and threw down a time of 1min 20sec in the final.

Campbell fought valiantly but was unable to match Van Gisbergen in front of a capacity 5000-strong crowd.

Earlier, former World Rally Championship driver Hayden Paddon set the record time during an early run but he made a small mistake towards the end of his top-eight run and clipped the bank, which fired him into a roll and out of the event.

Paddon was not hurt in the incident and graciously waved to fans who had come to see him in action.

Event host Jack Hawkeswood was third after putting on a terrific show while Matt Summerfield, from Rangiora, also bowed out in the top four.

Van Gisbergen proved a popular winner and said he would love to do more rallying if his Supercars boss allowed it.

"The whole few days has been really cool," a delighted Van Gisbergen said.

"I had a great time and learned a whole lot about rallying — a huge thanks to Dad, [Robert, in whose Ford Escort RS1800 he competed on Saturday in the City of Auckland Rally], the Ralliart New Zealand team and my co-driver Brianna [Little]."

The Battle of Jacks Ridge was held on a purpose-built venue on former national champion Andrew Hawkeswood’s property.

Paddon, driving his Hyundai 120 AP4, won the City of Auckland Rally.

Van Gisbergen dominated the Classics class and was 15th overall.

 

Add a Comment