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Van Gisbergen locked in for Bathurst Triple Crown quest
In-form Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen will join Shane Smollen and Rob Rubis in a bid to add the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour to his remarkable and ever-expanding CV.
Van Gisbergen, fresh from winning the opening round of the 2021 Supercars championship at Mount Panorama, will join experienced Porsche racer Smollen and former 6-hour class winner Rubis aboard a newly constructed BMW M4 for the April 2-4 Event.
Tickets, camping and corporate tickets are on sale for the 2021 event now – just click the links to purchase online.
EVENT TICKETING >> https://bathurst6hour.com.au/event-info/ticketing/
EVENT CAMPING >> https://bathurst6hour.com.au/event-info/camping/
CORPORATE HOSPITALITY >> https://bathurst6hour.com.au/event-info/hospitality/
The 31-year-old won the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour and the 2020 Bathurst 1000 and will look to join Paul Morris as the only driver to win the ‘Triple Crown’ of current Bathurst long-distance races this Easter.
2021 will mark van Gisbergen’s debut in the six-hour, however his remarkable adaptability has already been demonstrated time and time again this year.
As well as his success in the Supercars season opener, van Gisbergen won the 2021 New Zealand Grand Prix in the Toyota Racing Series open-wheelers, and before that the Battle of Jack’s Ridge rally event in New Zealand.
Later this month he will switch to GT mode, contesting the opening round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS aboard a Triple Eight-run Mercedes AMG GT3.
The GT World Challenge grid will take to Mount Panorama in support of the six-hour this Easter, meaning van Gisbergen is likely to be one of several drivers doing double duty across multiple races.
With Smollen and Rubis alongside, the BMW combination will be in safe and experienced hands as it lines up against a 60-plus grid this Easter – including what is shaping as a record number of cars entered in class ‘X’ for ‘Ultimate Performance’ Production Cars.
Smollen, the 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup Pro-Am champion, has had prior success at Mount Panorama racing in the one-make category while Rubis won the Performance class in the 2017 Bathurst 6 Hour – sharing a BMW 130i with Todd Hazelwood.
The new BMW has been constructed by Beric Lynton’s Queensland-based team – the same squad that won the 2019 Bathurst 6 Hour.
Likely rivals include similar BMWs to be driven by Tim Slade and Bradley Carr, 2018 winners Sherrin Racing and 2019 winners Beric Lynton and Tim Leahey. BMW is yet to lose a Bathurst 6 hour, having won every race since its inception in 2016.
Entries for the race close this Friday, 5 March, with the full entry list to be released early next week.
Shane Smollen – Team owner / driver
“It’s really exciting to have Shane on board with Rob and I for this year’s Bathurst 6 Hour,” Smollen said.
“It goes without saying that after winning the Bathurst 1000 and the 12-Hour it would be a great achievement to be the second ever to win the ‘Triple Crown’. Hopefully he has the car and the supporting drivers to do it.
“Shane and I knew each other from previous races, including in Carrera Cup, and he was really keen to be part of it – plus he was going to be at the event in the GT car anyway. It all fitted really nicely.
“We will go testing the week after next and they will be the first laps for the brand-new car. It’s been built to a very high standard by Beric Lynton’s team and is basically a sister car to the one that won in 2019. They know how to build a robust and fast car and there’s no reason to think this one will be anything different.”