WEEKEND WATCH: A racing masterclass from Shane Van Gisbergen

It’s the Bathurst 12-Hour this weekend.

In the space of a few short years, this event has exploded in popularity, with this year’s grid featuring over 50 cars, including top-level entries from Bentley, Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

The GT3 category is exploding globally, as we discovered when we visited the final round of the Blancpain series at the Nurburgring last year, its popularity a result of relatively low costs, close competition and cars that look and sound sensational.

With professional and amateur drivers allowed to compete, the drivers’ skill sets can be as diverse as the cars involved, which can occasionally lead to incredible action like our featured video this week.

Kiwi Shane Van Gisbergen shows why he is one of the finest drivers ever to come out of New Zealand (no mean feat!) by monstering the field in a GT race at the sensational Highlands Motorsport Park circuit.

SVG wastes no time carving through the field, overtaking cars under brakes, around the inside, around the outside, wherever he can. The video culminates in an incredible battle between Van Gisbergen and another young gun, Richard Muscat driving a Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3.

Incredible cars, incredible drivers, incredible action – is it any wonder GT3 racing is exploding in popularity?