Heuzenroeder is among the latest crop of young Australians plying their trade in single-seater racing, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Oscar Piastri.
The Sydneysider has had a reasonably sharp rise from having his first laps in a go-kart at 13 to getting himself onto the Formula 1 feeder series ladder just a few years later.
The 19-year-old hasn’t stuck around Australia for long. After a season in Formula Ford, he made the leap to Great Britain to compete in Formula 4.
It was there on a train ride to London in late 2023 that he happened to meet ex-Formula 1 driver turned Sky Sports F1 commentator Karun Chandhok.
“The train was packed and we were sitting in like a four-seater and it was just the two of us – and Karun Chandhok sat down in front of us,” Heuzenroeder told Speedcafe.
“I looked at him for a solid five seconds and then said, ‘Are you Karun?’ and introduced myself.
“At first, I thought he’s probably just gonna whip out his laptop and crack on and do some work, But he was actually such a nice guy. I chatted to him for about 45 minutes because he was in a similar situation coming from a different country and going to the UK for racing.
“He was very helpful and then at the end, as most people do in Europe, they sort of assume all Australians know each other. So he said, ‘Oh, you’d know David Brabham, wouldn’t you?’ And I said, ‘Oh, actually, no, I don’t’ and so he said, ‘Oh, all right, well, I’ll put you in contact because I think he’d be a really helpful person for you to be out of contact’.
“I just sent him an email and he said, ‘Yeah, come down to my office and we can have a chat’ and ended up chatting to him for about two hours. Such a nice guy, so easy to get along with, and then I just left it there.
“January of ‘24, he emailed me and said, I’m looking to get back into mentoring drivers and would I be interested? I jumped at that opportunity because to work with someone of his experience would be invaluable.”
Brabham worked with Heuzenroeder throughout 2024, attending several test days and race weekends.
The grand prix driver of 24 starts suggested the young Australian compete in this year’s Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
Brabham raced in essentially the same series in 1987, then-known as Formula Pacific.
“That was mainly the suggestion of David, was to come to New Zealand,” said Heuzenroeder.
“He just said it’s great racing, good tracks, and good to get your head back into racing before then you go into the main campaign.”
Brabham’s experience has been invaluable to Heuzenroeder, who competed in GB3 in 2024 and is optimistic that he’ll return to Great Britain in 2025.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans winner will be with the young Australian for the third round of the championship at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon before heading back to the United Kingdom.
“He’s seen a few teams and seen a few drivers. The perspective he comes at it is the biggest thing for me,” Heuzenroeder explained.
“He’s been in so many teams and been in so many situations that I haven’t been in. When that situation comes up that I haven’t been in or I don’t know, then he’s just a good person to talk to or give some advice.
“I’d say the biggest thing he’s helped me with is just mindset, because I think people underestimate how mental motor racing is versus just being able to drive a car. He’s really good at that sort of thing, so that’s where he’s been very helpful.
“He’s introduced me to a few people who have helped me along that path as well. It’s really his experience and his perspective that are very valuable.”
Brabham’s sage advice has paid dividends with Heuzenroeder enjoying some of his best racing to date.
He sits seventh in the drivers’ championship after two rounds, scoring top 10 finishes in all six races to date.
He almost notched his first podium at Taupo Motorsport Park after a fierce battle with Supercars champion Will Brown.
“You look at Will [Brown], I mean… [Shane] van Gisbergan did the same thing, hopped from a Supercar into this car and did a really good job — and Will’s done the same.
“I’ve had some pretty good battles with Will and to say that I’ve had a good battle with the Supercars champion isn’t something you get to say every day.
“It’s a great experience because the amount of racing these blokes have done, when you race them on track you just learn off them.
“When you’re on track, you know who you’re racing and that they can race versus someone that’s sort of just rocked up and might just lock a brake and hit you.
“It’s a really good experience. The amount of pace these boys are showing and also what they’ve done and they’re going to do is a good benchmark.”
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