Melbourne-based Kiwi Andre Heimgartner is hoping to continue his winning Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship form when he hits the track for round two at the Australian Grand Prix this week.
Heimgartner impressed on debut in the category at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide earlier this month, qualifying on pole and taking two out of three race wins and the round win even though it was his first time with Sonic Racing and driving the #777 Bob Jane T-Marts Porsche.
Courtesy of his results in Adelaide, he is now equal leader of the championship as it prepares to head to Albert Park this week for the second round of its eight-round calendar.
“To hit the streets of Adelaide with absolutely no experience in the new Porsche and not having worked with Sonic Racing before was certainly daunting, but it really couldn’t have gone much better,” Heimgartner said.
“We qualified on pole, took out the wins in races one and two, and came home in third in race two – taking out the round win and tying for the championship lead in the process.
“Given this was my first event in the car and with the team, I am really excited to see what we can do together as we build our program.”
For the Mentone-based 21 year old, the Australian Grand Prix is a home event.
“The track is about 35 minutes from where I live, so I get to stay in my own bed which is never a bad thing,” Heimgartner said.
“The Grand Prix track is a pretty fast and flowing track – obviously it is designed for F1 racing so it is a lot different to any other track that we race on,” Heimgartner said.
“When I was here last year (in Supercars) we struggled with a lot of mechanical issues, so I am hoping that this year will be a better chapter in the story – hopefully we can continue that winning form from Adelaide and make the most of what should be a great event.”
Heimgartner and the rest of the Carrera Cup field will be on-track at the Australian Grand Prix on Thursday for practice (12.20pm) and qualifying (2.35pm) before race one at 4.20pm. Friday will host race two at 2.55pm ahead of race three (Saturday, 12.45pm) and race four (Sunday 1.50pm). All times local.
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