Andre Heimgartner has set his sights on continuing Brad Jones Racing’s consistent vein of top 10 finishes in the Repco Supercars Championship this year.
The Kiwi joins the team as the de facto number one driver, replacing Nick Percat in the R&J Batteries Racing #8 Holden ZB Commodore.
Heimgartner comes to Brad Jones Racing after a four-year spell at Grove Racing (né Kelly Grove Racing).
This week’s pre-season test at Winton Motor Raceway marked the first chance to get accustomed to the Albury outfit on track.
By all accounts, it was smooth sailing for the one-time race winner, who was upbeat at the close of play yesterday.
“It’s an environment I really love and to get the first proper test day out of the way is really cool,” Heimgartner told Speedcafe.com.
“I’m pretty pumped. I’m liking how everyone is working and the technical department at BJR is really impressive.
“I’ve been pretty blown away with the expertise and their talent that they have as far as engineers go. I think it’ll be a good year.
“I think it’s pretty clear why they were so consistent and they were able to get top 10s last year and the wins and podiums they had [in recent seasons].
“It’s something I’m definitely looking forward to doing.
“Change is as good as a holiday and I’m feeling really refreshed and ready to go. I’m feeling fit, fast and I just can’t wait to get started again.”
This year Heimgartner finds himself with a new engineer for the first time in four years in Tony Woodward, having spent the bulk of his Supercars Championship career working with Dilan Talabani (at Super Black Racing and Kelly Racing).
The pair aren’t strangers though, having worked together in 2019 at World Time Attack Challenge.
On that occasion, Heimgartner piloted the MCA Suspension Nissan Silvia S13 dubbed ‘Hammerhead’ to second at Sydney Motorsport Park.
“Tony is really good,” said Heimgartner.
“Obviously, he was on Todd Hazelwood’s car last year. He’s been with BJR forever, a very experienced guy.
“We gelled very well. We did World Time Attack Challenge a while ago, so I’ve had a bit of experience with him.
“We get on really well and speak the same language. I think it’s going to work out well.”
Heimgartner’s first race in the #8 R&J Batteries Racing Holden ZB Commodore takes place across March 4-6 at Sydney Motorsport Park.
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