SBR ultimately granted his wish, but with a rumored one-year non-compete clause in place, it looks like van Gisbergen chose to sit out of next year’s championship--to hit the proverbial pause button--and wait to see what opportunities exist afterwards.

Content attributed to van Gisbergen within the SBR press release went to great lengths to deny the known reasons for the split.

Van Gisbergen teamed with the rapid and respected sports car ace Jeroen Bleekemoelen at this year's Gold Coast 600, leaving the Dutchman impressed with the SvG's skills behind the wheel. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

“Contrary to media reports, I do not wish to race for another V8 Supercar team and my decision to leave the sport has in no way been caused by Ross and Jimmy’s decision to switch manufacturers in 2013 or the teams partnership with Erebus Motorsport," it read.

The curious case of van Gisbergen’s pending V8 Supercars exit surely hasn’t been solved, but once the V8 championship concludes at Homebush on December 2nd, we might have some answers as to where he'll resurface.

For now, we're left with one of the more unique career developments to explore.

Taken out of the context of V8 Supercars, van Gisbergen's move would be like young IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe looking to get out of his contract with Andretti Autosport if the team secured what he felt was an inferior engine supply--a Lotus, for example. In F1, it would be akin to Nico Rosberg willfully sitting out for a year due to Mercedes striking a chassis supply arrangement from a brand-new vendor.

Although he isn't as well known on the international stage, the void left by a future champion like van Gisbergen in the V8 series is just as significant as a Hinchcliffe or Rosberg stepping out of the cockpit--even if it's temporary.

No matter how it has been portrayed elsewhere, van Gisbergen isn't retiring and has clearly put his personal beliefs and convictions ahead of a lucrative, multi-year contract to race with SBR through 2015.

Whether van Gisbergen's made the right choice--at least in competitive terms--won't be known until the SBR/Erebus Mercs show up at the Clipsal 500 at Adelaide in less than 100 days, but his courageous career move ranks as one of the boldest decisions by an up-and-coming driver in ages.

Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, and covers the IndyCar Series. Before joining SPEED, Pruett worked in open-wheel racing for 20 years as a mechanic and engineer. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED