Shane van Gisbergen set for rally cameo

Shane van Gisbergen is gearing up for a busy 2022, with the reigning Supercars champion to make his Australian rally debut in April.

The 32-year-old will drive a Skoda Fabia R5 in the opening round of the Motorsport Australia rally championship in Canberra.

Experienced co-driver Glen Weston, who has claimed three national championships, will sit alongside van Gisbergen.

Van Gisbergen is no stranger to a rally car, having been a part of several events in his native New Zealand, but has never got behind the wheel in Australia.

"Rally drivers are the best of the best," van Gisbergen said.

"You're driving a car as fast as you can and it's on gravel, it's so foreign to me, listening to someone else tell you where to go.

"It's an awesome challenge and I want to see if I can adapt and get better and better at it and hopefully have a proper go at it.

"I've always grown up with rally, but it's nerve-wracking to finally be in the national series in a proper car.

"I won't be doing the whole championship, but I'll go and do the first round and have some fun."

Van Gisbergen enjoyed a dominant 2021 Supercars season, comfortably adding a second championship to the one he claimed in 2016.

He almost completed the perfect season, slumping to 18th in the Bathurst 1000 after tyre issues saw him forced from second before getting to within two seconds of the lead late in the race.

"Having Shane competing in the opening round of the Motorsport Australia Rally Championship is a sign of just how strong rallying is right now in Australia," Motorsport Australia Director Michael Smith said.

The Sydney SuperNight will now kick off the upcoming Supercars season from March 4-6, after Newcastle was stripped of the opening event due to local fears about