After the 34th running of the Australian Supercars Championship, there is a lively atmosphere on the track in Adelaide. Not only has 20-year-old rookie Brock Pheney won the race for the first time – it’s also the last race of the season, and Holden’s last ever. This historic brand, once associated with Opel via parent company General Motors, is no longer around in 2020. The supercars were still driven by rear-wheel-drive racing versions of what we know as the Insignia. Until last weekend.
Shane van Gisbergen finished seventh in his Holden, but won the championship for the third time. Reason enough to pick up his trophy in straight style – how could it be otherwise in Australia, a great fatigue.
Van Gisbergen exits while exhausting
The 33-year-old New Zealander doesn’t necessarily find it necessary to stay in his car while exhausted. He puts Holden’s nose to the wall, gets out and jumps gleefully onto the roof – the rear wheels keep turning. He then runs to retrieve the trophy, gets into his still-spinning car, smokes, and continues to accelerate until the tires go out.
No, cars in the Supercars class do not have a cruise control designed for fatigue. If you pay attention, you’ll see that Van Gisbergen only had one shoe on – the other he had on the throttle. This results in an unforgettable moment that brilliantly closes Holden’s decades-long motorsports chapter. Watch the video below.
