Lowndes, Van Gisbergen Set for Australian GT Finale

Photo: John Dagys

A pair of V8 Supercars stars are set to take part in next month’s Australian GT Championship season finale in New Zealand, as Craig Lowndes and Shane Van Gisbergen have confirmed their participation in the Highlands 101.

Three-time V8 champion Lowndes, who won this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour, will be at the wheel of a brand-new SaReNi-built Camaro GT3 with local driver Inky Tulloch, while Van Gisbergen will share the wheel of a McLaren MP4-12C with former series champion Klark Quinn.

Located roughly 200 miles southwest of Christchurch, the 2.54-mile circuit opened last year and will again play host to the final round of the Australian GT Championship with a 101-lap endurance race. The event is scheduled for Nov. 7-9.

“One of my biggest reasons for doing the event is to get to race on the Highlands track,” said Lowndes. “It looks awesome.

“I’ve heard great things about it and I can’t wait to get there. Learning new tracks is both challenging and fun, I am looking forward to it.”

Van Gisbergen returns to the wheel of the mid-engined sports car for the first time since his standout run in February’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

“I love driving GT cars so I’m certainly looking forward to having another go,” he said.

“Klark is a really good driver and, although the seat needs to go quite a way forward for him, in the racing we have done together so far, we have been competitive so I hope we can have a go at getting top step of the podium!”

Erebus Motorsport’s Richard Muscat currently leads the championship heading into the title deciding weekend, which is expected to feature a bumper grid of 42 cars.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John