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Dannemora’s Andre Heimgartner, 21, has taken pole position for race one of the Carrera Cup at the Clipsal 500 today, pipping the rest of the field by three tenths of a second.
Yesterday’s practice sessions were the first time ever for Heimgartner in the #777 Bob Jane T-Marts Porsche, and his pole position comes ahead of a number of key stalwarts of the category courtesy of a 1m 22.1566s lap.
“I hadn’t raced the new Porsche with a paddle shift ever before, so I was a bit worried as some drivers do find it difficult to adapt, but we were fast in testing and I felt really confident early,” said Heimgartner, now based in Melbourne.
“I felt I would be close to pole, and to be able to clinch it by three tenths of a second felt really great.
“I can’t wait to see what the race holds this afternoon.”
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Five seasons ago Heimgartner became the youngest driver to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship at 16 years and 8 months.
He went on to contest two seasons in the Super2 Series, followed by two seasons in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship before his Carrera Cup return this season with top-ranked Sonic Motor Racing Services.
Race one of the Carrera Cup at the Clipsal 500 starts at 3.05pm Adelaide Time (5.35pm NZT). For how to watch, go to www.supercars.com/tv-schedule/