Kiwi motorsport driver Shane van Gisbergen has seen his name join some of his childhood heroes after his impressive win at the New Zealand Grand Prix.
Van Gisbergen was forced to start the race from pit lane after an embarrassing moment with his onboard fire extinguisher, he told 1 NEWS moments after stepping off the podium.
"I actually pressed the fire extinguisher button when I went to start it so we had to start from pit lane.
"But [my team] prepared the car well, fixed it up, I caught up to the field and picked them off one by one.
Van Gisbergen was relentless in his pursuit of first place, getting inside the top 10 after just 10 laps and up to third by the 15th lap. On lap 19, he took the lead and never looked back, putting in some of the fastest laps of the race.
"What an awesome race - I don't know how it happened but we're up there."
Van Gisbergen said he was honoured to join the likes of motorsport greats Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren and others who have won the NZ Grand Prix.
"The New Zealand Grand Prix is the most prestigious event here and to get my name on that trophy is a pretty special thing.
"Seeing all the other names on it, like the old legends from the 50s and 60s and then a few of my heroes from my time growing up - it's hard to put into words."
Van Gisbergen beat an all-Kiwi field in this year's race with Toyota Racing Series organisers unable to accomodate international drivers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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