Defending Repco Supercars Champion Shane van Gisbergen and fellow Kiwi driver Andre Heimgartner have returned home today, to help launch the countdown to the highly anticipated ITM Auckland SuperSprint.
The pair are in Auckland just over 100 days out from this year’s return of Supercars to international racing at Pukekohe Park Raceway for the first time since 2019.
While the drivers will steal the show on track, Supercars can confirm Kiwi Supercar legend Greg Murphy will feature as part of the commentary team at the event, which will run 9-11 September.
Murphy will be reporting from pit lane in Pukekohe, which will be the final Supercars event before he returns to racing as a wildcard at the Repco Bathurst 1000 alongside fellow Kiwi Richie Stanaway.
Auckland-born Van Gisbergen is the defending Jason Richards Memorial Trophy Winner and a six-time race winner on his home circuit.
The Red Bull ace is always a fan-favourite at the Auckland event and will be hoping to secure another victory for New Zealand’s die-hard Holden fans who will get to cheer on the Commodore one more time, before it is replaced on the grid by the Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro in 2023.
Heimgartner, another Auckland-born driver, will complete his 500 the career lap of the Pukekohe Park circuit this year and has never won on home soil in a Supercar.
The Brad Jones Racing R&J Batteries Commodore driver is having one of the best years of his career and is currently on a streak of 11 consecutive top 10 race finishes in the 2022 Repco Supercars
Championship.
Supercars CEO Shane Howard said: “I would like to thank Tātaki Auckland Unlimited for their ongoing and unwavering support for the ITM Auckland SuperSprint.
“We have passionate kiwi fans who are keen to see their favourite stars racing on home soil once again in the best touring car category.
“We’re thrilled to have Murph on board as part of the event and he will no doubt gain plenty of attention from fans across the weekend.
“We can’t wait to get there and once again put on a show for the fans at Pukekohe.”
The ITM Auckland SuperSprint is one of the biggest events on the Supercars calendar and in 2019 drew a crowd of 113,999 fans.
Supercars will be on track on all three days of the event, including Friday practice, qualifying and a race on Saturday and two races on Sunday.
The ITM Auckland SuperSprint will feature the Toyota Gazoo Racing 86 Series, Central Muscle Cars, Historics and Formula Ford.
Tickets for both events can be purchased now through Supercars.com and Ticketek.