Celebrating New Zealand in Supercars: The best drivers

New Zealand ranks 121st for population size in the world, yet continues to punch above its weight when it comes to sport, particularly motorsport.

For a country of just over five million people, New Zealand has delivered a Formula 1 world championship, 12 F1 Grand Prix wins, seven Le Mans 24 Hours wins, six IndyCar titles, and an Indianapolis 500 win, among other accolades.

However, Kiwis have dominated Supercars, combining for 19 Bathurst 1000 wins and 11 ATCC/Supercars championships.

A total of 14 different Kiwi drivers have won a staggering 229 races, led by modern-day stars Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin.

Of the five Kiwis on the 2024 grid, three have already won races, with the others ready in waiting.

Ahead of Supercars' long-awaited return to New Zealand in Taupō, Supercars.com delves through the stats that matter when it comes to Kiwi stars in Aussie touring cars.

Winning, winning and more winning

Of the 85 drivers who have won a race in the ATCC/Supercars, 14 hail from New Zealand. In recent years, the rate of Kiwi winners has grown. There were two first-time Kiwi winners in the 1980s, two in the 1990s, four in the 2000s, four in the 2010s, and already two in the 2020s.

Shane van Gisbergen (80) and Scott McLaughlin (56) combine for 136 of the 229 wins, ahead of Greg Murphy (28), Jim Richards (23) and Fabian Coulthard (13).

Five-time Bathurst winner Steven Richards is the sixth and final Kiwi to win 10 or more races, ahead of Paul Radisich (eight) and 1986 champion Robbie Francevic (five).

Richie Stanaway took his tally to two with Bathurst victory last year, with Craig Baird, Simon Wills, Jason Richards, Andre Heimgartner and Matt Payne all one-time winners.

Championship race winners from New Zealand (229 wins for 14 drivers)

80: Shane van Gisbergen

56: Scott McLaughlin

28: Greg Murphy

23: Jim Richards

13: Fabian Coulthard

10: Steven Richards

8: Paul Radisich

5: Robbie Francevic

2: Richie Stanaway

1: Craig Baird, Simon Wills, Jason Richards, Andre Heimgartner, Matt Payne

Mountain men

Jim Richards scored the first Bathurst 1000 win for a New Zealand driver in 1978, which was the first of 19 Kiwi winners.

Kiwi winners have featured in seven of the last 11 races: Steven Richards (2013, 2015, 2018), Scott McLaughlin (2019), Shane van Gisbergen (2020, 2022, 2023) and Richie Stanaway (2023).

Greg Murphy won four times (1996, 1999, 2003, 2004), with father-won duo Jim (1978, 1979, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2002) and Steven combining for 12 wins.

Bathurst winners from New Zealand (21 wins for six drivers)

7: Jim Richards (1978, 1979, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2002)

5: Steven Richards (1998, 1999, 2013, 2015, 2018)

4: Greg Murphy (1996, 1999, 2003, 2004)

3: Shane van Gisbergen (2020, 2022, 2023)

1: Scott McLaughlin (2019)

1: Richie Stanaway (2023)

The champions

It's no surprise, then, that Jim Richards (1985, 1987, 1990, 1991), Shane van Gisbergen (2016, 2021, 2022) and Scott McLaughlin (2018, 2019, 2020) feature in the 'champions' bracket.

Richards, van Gisbergen and McLaughlin combine for 10 of New Zealand's 11 titles, and 159 (69 percent) of the country's 229 wins.

However, it's easy to forget the exploits of Robbie Francevic, who won the 1968 title aboard a Volvo.

Championship winners from New Zealand (11 wins for four drivers)

4: Jim Richards (1985, 1987, 1990, 1991)

3: Shane van Gisbergen (2016, 2021, 2022)

3: Scott McLaughlin (2018, 2019, 2020)

1: Robbie Francevic (1986)

The inaugural Taupō event will be held on April 19-21. Fans are encouraged to secure their ticket options, with Saturday and Sunday general admission and grandstand allocations exhausted.