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Andre Heimgartner has outlined the challenges which teams and drivers will face when Taupo debuts on the Supercars calendar next April.
The Waikato venue will host the championship’s return to New Zealand after the somewhat sudden closure of Pukekohe left the nation without a Supercars event for the first time in more than two decades (pandemic years aside).
Few drivers have experience at Taupo International Motorsport Park but Brad Jones Racing boasts two in its ranks, including Kiwi Heimgartner, who was on-hand for the announcement of its dates for the Australian Touring Car Championship in 2024.
“I think it’ll be quite good,” said the R&J Batteries Camaro pilot.
“It’s got many characteristics; it’s quite tight and technical in the middle part of the circuit, then opens up to more fast, flowy stuff towards the end.
“It’ll be interesting – you never know exactly how passing is going to be – but I think, nonetheless, it’s going to be a good circuit.
“[It produces a] Decent amount of tyre deg, which always makes strategy and everything more interesting, which makes the racing better also.”
Heimgartner and future BJR team-mate Jack Smith were both part of the BNT V8s field at Taupo in Round 2 of the 2017/18 season.
The former won two races that December weekend on his way to eventually taking out the championship, and also sealed the first of two New Zealand Formula Ford titles at the same circuit.
“I’ve raced there quite a bit,” he noted.
“It’s where I won my Formula Ford championship with the last races there, and obviously the V8SuperTourers raced there as well, so, pretty fond memories of that place.”
According to Heimgartner, the Tony Quinn-owned circuit is not particularly like any other in Supercars, although it does share some similarities with The Bend.
“It’s sort of unique,” he explained.
“In some ways it’s similar to The Bend and the way that it has a little bit of undulation and some things like that, but it’s not really that long or flat as that.
“It’s sort of unique, I guess. It’s not like an old-style track like a Sandown or Winton; it’s more of a new-style, I’d say.”
