Dannemora’s Andre Heimgartner has gotten his 2017 Carrera Cup campaign off to the best possible start by claiming the race one victory from pole position in the #777 Bob Jane T-Marts Porsche.
While Heimgartner lead from start to finish and built a 0.7 second gap early, he was under pressure for a large portion of the race with Sonic Racing team-mate Nick McBride not far away until lap 13 when he found himself in the wall.
This left David Wall next in line to chase the 21-year-old Melbourne-based Heimgartner, but despite his best efforts, the Kiwi would not be headed.
“This is only my second day in this car and it is my first time in the Porsche with a paddle shift, but I have just slotted in and felt comfortable almost straight away and that has shown in the results,” Heimgartner said.
“These cars are awesome, they are reliable, they are fast, and they feel great to drive. Sonic Racing have really put together a strong package.
“That race was very full-on with McBride on my tail and ready to pounce for the first 13 laps especially, but I just put my head down and did my best to bring it home without any mistakes that he could take advantage of.
“It is a shame for him to spin as he did and put himself out of contention, but up until then it was a good battle and I was really enjoying it.
“To take the victory is certainly very exciting and hopefully we can keep this winning momentum going into tomorrow’s race two and Sunday’s race three.”
Race two is at 2.05pm (4.35pm NZT) on Saturday while the third and final race for the weekend will take place from 1.30pm (4pm NZT) on Sunday.
