Van Gisbergen's Red Bull Skoda unveiled

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The Kiwi will make a one-off ARC start at the National Capital Rally in Canberra next month, driving an R5-spec Skoda prepared by Race Torque Engineering.

He'll do so with the major support of Red Bull, which also backs the Triple Eight squad that he drives for in Supercars.

Minor backing will come from other T8 partners such as Omen by HP and Harvey Norman, as well as snack food brand Local Legends, which is owned by T8 majority shareholder Tony Quinn.

Van Gisbergen will get his first taste of the Skoda at tomorrow's pre-season ARC test in Canberra, where he'll be joined by experienced co-driver Glenn Weston.

“The livery looks amazing and the car is ready to go so I can’t wait to get behind the wheel at the pre-season test day in Canberra on Tuesday,” van Gisbergen said.

“To have the support of Red Bull, HP, Omen, Harvey Norman, Local Legends and Hoosier is great and has made this new challenge possible, so thank you to everyone for getting behind me for this event.

“The test day tomorrow will be one that is particularly important for me, and I will take every opportunity to learn the car and the Canberra roads.

"It will also be a great opportunity to work alongside Glenn who has a lot of experience in the Australian Championship and in Canberra.

“I can’t wait to get out there as we prepare for the Netier National Capital Rally in April.”

Van Gisbergen has limited experience in rallying but has enjoyed some success. Last January he won his class in the City of Auckland Rally driving his father Robert's Ford Escort, which was his competitive rallying debut, before winning the Battle of Jacks Ridge event outright in a Mitsubishi Mirage the following day.

Shane van Gisbergen, Race Torque Engineering Skoda R5