Andre Heimgartner believes this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000 is his strongest chance yet at clinching a victory.
The Brad Jones Racing driver is fresh off the back of a double podium finish at Pukekohe Park Raceway and sits eighth in the Drivers Championship.
Heimgartner is in his career-best form and is arguably an underdog for this year’s Mount Panorama enduro.
The Kiwi’s only Supercars win to date came in wet conditions at Tailem Bend in 2021, with rain forecast for all four days of track activity at the Mountain this weekend.
Heimgartner will share the #8 R&J Batteries ZB Commodore with Dale Wood.
“I guess it’s the strongest I have been going into [Bathurst],” Heimgartner told Speedcafe.com.
“Obviously, the last part of the year has been really good and it’s been consistently fast, so I guess coming into here I have the most momentum that I’ve had.
“I think in 2019 we had a good car and a good year and should have finished on the podium, but had an issue with the radio and a whole lot of things sort of unfolded that.
“If it’s dry or wet, I think the car should be very speedy.”
His co-driver, Wood, has won two Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia races this year, and snapped a pole drought of more than 800 days at the Hidden Valley event.
At last year’s Great Race he shared the BJR Commodore with Nick Percat.
Heimgartner added of Wood: “He’s a great driver, great dude, and he did really well last year with the team.
“He’s obviously done 14 Bathursts so he knows exactly what you got to do to win and to get to the end.
“He’s actually had better results than me here, so it’s good to be with someone who is experienced, and you just don’t have to stress too much about them knowing the procedures and all that sort of stuff.”
BJR has once again been the class of the field in pit stop speed this season, having won its third-straight Pirtek Pit Stop Challenge last year.
Asked whether he considers the R&J Batteries car an underdog, Heimgartner replied: “Oh, I think potentially.
“We have the speed to challenge I think, we have the crew, we have the co-driver.
“I think if the stars align, we should be there or thereabouts like we’ve been most of the year.
“You just never know, that often depends on how you roll out of the truck.
“Sometimes it’s good, sometimes bad. Sometimes it’s easy and cruisey, sometimes you’re battling.”
Car #8 finished Practice 1 in third and Practice 2 in 16th yesterday, with Practice 3 set to get underway at 10:10 AEDT today.
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