Reigning Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen has revealed a desire to race the New Zealand Grand Prix next year.
A report from the New Zealand Herald has suggested a group of the country’s elite drivers could make a cameo appearance at the event held at Manfeild in February.
The showpiece event of the Toyota Racing Series open wheel championship has four additional cars available for one-off drives at the event.
Van Gisbergen has been named alongside fellow Kiwi Supercars drivers Fabian Coulthard and Scott McLaughlin as potential targets for the race.
The report also lists recently crowned Le Mans 24 Hours winner Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber, and former three-time NZ GP winner Nick Cassidy.
Van Gisbergen, who finished as the runner-up in 2006/2007 Toyota Racing Series, is keen to take up an offer to return to his roots.
The 28-year-old has proven a versatile driver regularly competing in GT and drift events alongside his Supercars commitments.
“It is in a good time of the year for us in our off-season,” he told the Herald.
“I’d love to do it.
“The reason it is mainly the European guys these days is that it is so expensive now. To find a one-off would be hard. I would love to have a go in it and see how I would go against all the young guys.
”It is very different now to when I used to do it. When I did it, there were two internationals and the rest were Kiwis and now it is the other way around.”
This weekend van Gisbergen heads to Watkins Glen to contest the latest round of the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
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