Van Gisbergen drifts modified V8 Supercar

Red Bull Racing Australia stars Jamie Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen, along with co-drivers Paul Dumbrell and Alexandre Premat, all took part in the launch of the team's "Night Drift" project ahead of the 2016 Bathurst 1000.

Utilizing the chassis Whincup ran in the Ipswich SuperSprint race in July, the crew transformed the Holden Commodre into a drifting machine. Among the changes included dual brake callipers in the rear and a steering angle quadruple that of a normal Supercar.

“It was an awesome thing to be a part of,” said Van Gisbergen.

“To be able to combine my love of drifting with a Supercar was cool. I never thought I could put the two together, but the car performance was really great. I was able to really go hard around the bends, we really smoked it up.”

He showed off his drifting skills at Sydney Motorsport Park, doing so at night to create the perfect atmosphere for such an event. 

Team Manager Mark Dutton headed the project and said, “There is a fair bit that goes into turning a Supercar into in a drift car. It was great fun for the whole team when the physical transformation took place. Getting to that point was a lot of hard work and late nights, but that’s what we do.”

The modified race car will be on display throughout the race weekend at Mount Panorama. Dutton described it as a "caricature" of the actual race cars you'll see in the 1000.

"It has an exaggerated stance, with the wheels hanging out wide, and super fat flares keeping them covered."

Red Bull Racing Australia comes to the mountain hoping to defend their 2015 crown, which was delivered by veteran driver Craig Lowndes and co-driver Steve Richards. 

Van Gisbergen has never won the prestigious race, finishing as high as eighth in 2015. This year, he has a new co-driver that he is quite eager to work with.

“I think Alex (Premat) showed that he had great speed at Sandown. After finishing on the podium in second place, we are both looking forward to sinking our teeth into Bathurst. We are working well together, with a car that is performing very well.”