Heimgartner turned approximately 30 laps of Winton Motor Raceway in Walkinshaw Andretti United’s development mule as engine testing continued on Wednesday.
He shared the car with WAU test pilot Fabian Coulthard and BJR teammate Macauley Jones, who was also part of initial testing late last year.
BJR crew were also on hand for the test as the team builds its own trio of Supras ahead of the season opener at Sydney Motorsport Park on February 20-22.
“It’s exciting. There’s a lot to unpack and a lot to work out, and obviously it’s not quite the finished product yet,” Heimgartner told Speedcafe.
“But it’s good to get my hands on it finally and get an understanding of what the car is going to be like for the next couple of years.
“They’ve done a great job. There’s a few things that need to be tidied up with driveability and stuff, but as a whole, it’s quite a strong package.”
Secure your spot today.
The Supra has now been fitted with an updated aerodynamic kit following homologation testing at the Windshear wind tunnel in North Carolina in December.
Heimgartner, however, affirms the biggest difference from the driver’s seat is the feel of the 5.2 litre, quad-cam 2UR-GSE V8 engine.
“The aero package is much of a muchness,” said Heimgartner, whose BJR squad switches from the 5.7-litre pushrod-powered Chevrolet Camaro.
“I’m sure there will be little differences when you get down to the nitty gritty of it, but at this stage, we obviously haven’t been able to play with set-up or anything.
“So that knowledge is limited, but for sure, the engine is definitely a different beast to what we’re used to.
“It’s a different configuration, obviously, more aligned with what the Mustang is [as a quad-cam]. It’s gonna be interesting.”
While the Gen3 cars all share the same control chassis, the various body shapes also make for a slightly different view out of the cockpit.
View this post on Instagram
Heimgartner has now driven Supercars from five different brands – Nissan, Holden, Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota – across just eight years.
“The bodies are obviously quite different from car to car, so you’re able to see different things and different amounts out the sides,” he said.
“The mirrors are quite good, whereas on the Mustangs, the mirrors were quite challenging, so 100 percent there are parts of it like that that are better or worse.”
As for when Heimgartner will get behind the wheel of his own R&J Batteries Supra?
“Hopefully soon. It’s like any car build, it’s always ‘last minute motors’ waiting for things,” he said.
“The boys are pretty on top of it, but just waiting for engines and a few other things to come up.
“I’d be surprised if we don’t have a car up and running by early Feb.”
The two Supras being built from fresh chassis at BJR will be eligible to undergo 60km shakedown tests, while its third machine will be an updated Camaro.
The fleet of five Supras from BJR and WAU will face their Mustang and Camaro opposition for the first time during the pre-season test at Sydney Motorsport Park on February 18.
While that will provide the first true moment of reckoning, Heimgartner is for now cautiously optimistic the Toyota package can be on the pace in its first season.
“It’s not going to be completely off the mark and slow, I don’t think, because obviously it’s the same sort of ingredients as we’ve been playing with for the last little while,” he said.
“So I think we’ll be fine. It’s just how quickly we can get on top of things like the driveability and setup with a different aero package and stuff like that.
“I think we will, Toyota as a brand, be good and fast in the first year, but I think there’ll be a natural evolution, as there always is with these things.”
Discussion about this post