The Virgin Australia Supercars are set for their last stop of the season, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and Dannemora’s Andre Heimgartner is ready to tackle the Mountain.
The 25-year old will be sharing the wheel with teammate, Dylan O’Keeffe who has previously driven in the Dunlop Super2 Series as well as the TCR Australia Series.
“I’m looking forward to teaming up with Dylan this weekend. He’s certainly got the speed and I’m confident that we can have a good run,” said Heimgartner.
Whilst preparations for the season’s iconic race is a little different to usual, this weekend is still sure to send everyone to their living rooms to watch the great race.
“The lead up has certainly been different to previous Bathurst weekends,” admitted the NED Whisky driver.
“We usually have test days, have meet ups at the workshops and of course driver change practice. Whereas this year we’re doing it all for the first time here at the event only days before.
“But we’re all in the same position and it’s great that we’re still able to come together and continue to go racing.”
After a whirlwind year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, teams have been on the road for three months and there is no doubt that the end of the season will come as a relief as crew members will head home and see loved ones for the first time in months.
“It’s an exciting weekend for us all. Whilst Bathurst is always a fun round, this weekend is even more special after the rollercoaster year we’ve had. At the end of this weekend, we know we’ll all be packing up to go home and see family and friends and also sleep in our own bed after a long three months on the road,” said Heimgartner.
“But first, we have an important race to tackle and I’m really looking forward to getting in the car and getting to it!
“The crew have been working really hard and ensuring the car is ready to go. They’ve done a lot of upgrades, including the engine; so, we’re really looking forward to it and we’ll be looking to extract the most out of the car.”
The weather is set to test the drivers this weekend as a high chance of rain looks likely to fall.
“The weather is forecast for a bit of rain, so that’ll certainly mix things up. However, I think as a team, and as a driver I’m confident that we should be able to do well this weekend,” admitted the Kiwi.
“This circuit is always unpredictable and unforgiving, but Dylan and I will be pushing hard and hopefully still going strong at the end of Sunday and fingers crossed we’ll be up the pointy end to bring home a decent result!”
The Supercars hit the track Thursday through to Saturday for practice, whilst Saturday afternoon will also see the Top Ten Shootout which will set the grid ahead of the great race.
- The 1000km race will kick off this Sunday, 11:30am local time. Check your local TV Guide to keep up to date with timings – https://www.supercars.com/tv-schedule/
