Andre Heimgartner: Kiwi Supercars driver talks the opening of the Taupō Super 440

The Taupō Supercars event has gone the way of the home drivers and fans so far. 

Kiwi drivers Andre Heimgartner and Ryan Wood have set the fastest pace in the opening two practices. 

Heimgartner joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to discuss the return home to the central North Island race.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
EDB is your smort breakfast on News Talk's ab Towrop
and half Away from eight Sport, News Weather and the
Lot at the top of the hour and now we're
talking at SUPERCS five, im Toppart super forty. Come in,
Andre heimgar in a good morning.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Hey, how are you going?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
I'm going very good. More's the point. How are you going?
You're back to the scene of the victory crime last year.
You must be oozing with confidence in that, b Jaka.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Yeah, yeah, great to be back in New Zealand. And
every time I come back, I love it and it's
just a plus at the moment that the weather's looking
good and yeah, I'm really enjoying it. Obviously coming back
to the location where you have had great success before,
it's pretty awesome. And New Zealand's been kind to me
the last few years, so you know, looking forward to
getting stuck into it at Topaul.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Is the one part of last year that worked for you,
something that worked in the car, the way you went
about your driving, anything at all can look back on
and go. I'll just take a mental note of.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
That, but the rain definitely helped us. But yeah, it's
not so much one particular thing. It's just, you know,
some weekends things line up a bit better than others.
But this weekend for sure has more meaning to you know,
for us than others, just due to the Jason Richards Trophy.
Obviously he was a key we that drove for BJR,
the same team as me, and he was number eight too,

(01:30):
which is the same number as me. So yeah, for
sure it holds a lot of meaning for us. And
when we come here there's a bit more intensity, a
bit more emotion about it, and yeah, we just love
coming and racing for that trophy.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
How do you keep a little on that? Because you
really am doing what you do, you just can't get
all emotional about anything otherwise, you know, you stick it
in the pomis mate, How do you keep a little
on that?

Speaker 3 (01:53):
Yeah, well, yeah, I've been doing it for ten odd
years so far, so you sort of learn how to
regulate your emotion and when you're driving and busy, it's
just the same as racing anywhere else essentially, But yeah,
there is extra bit of intensity you need to manage
and emotions, but it's actually not too bad.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
In your car, your r and j Battery's racing car.
What have you noticed over the first couple of rounds,
the first handful of races. Where's the area you think
either you or the car itself could be improved.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, we're definitely stronger than last year. We've had a
couple of good qualifying results, a couple that we struggled.
And also but at least there's some light at the
end of the tunnel, and you know the raw speed
is there, so well just go work out how to
extract it a bit more and sort of go from there.
But it's positive signs so far is here now?

Speaker 2 (02:41):
And now do you feel about the category itself and
the evenness between all of the competing teams? Do you
think they've got that sorted out the category that it
is pretty much same same, or.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Yeah, yeah, you couldn't get it anymore. Even they've spent
a lot of time and money obviously getting the engines
and arrow dynamics sorded, And yeah, I think it's very
even now. So it's the closest race have had in many,
many years. So it's a great spectacle, and especially lately
everyone's been racing hard, so it's definitely something you don't
want to miss.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
What do you look at as far as ability or
place to pass? Is this a place that you can actually,
if it's not raining, gather up and get through a
whole lot of people. Is there an area there Andrew,
that's a place you'll tie it?

Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, there definitely is, and especially because the surface there
is so rough, so you'll see a lot of tie degradation,
which always creates a lot of passing. So yeah, there's
a few spots and the track lends itself to it also,
which is awesome.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
So a huge amount of team effort and how you
juggle that, how you work through with your tires, see
to your pants stuff, depending on the degradation, any expectations there.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, Yeah, you sort of have to sort of play
it out as you go, and you never know until
you're actually in the race and it's almost too late
to adjust the car or adjust what you're doing. So yeah,
it's very much something you need to approach and there's
a bit of guessing game, but yeah, you sort of
have to tail you you're set up a little bit
to that.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Also, what's your experience been like at TOPE or not
in supercars and you spent much time peeling around there
before in any other category.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
Yeah, a lot, so I've Yeah, my dad raced there
and I was out the back of the pets on
a little squad bike burning around. So I have a
lot of memories there, and then we had a family
holiday house there too, so it was great to go
race there because there are of course many memories there
like at Pooka Koe and I obviously race there growing
up in all the categories also, So yeah, it's a

(04:42):
great place. Lots of memories for me. And you know,
when we had the switch from Pooka Koe to Talpo,
it was somewhere that I wanted to try and make
my own, you know, put my stamp on Taupo, and
luckily I managed to do that, you know, the first
year we went there.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
It's it like being a focus. It's like hamming because
just before this interview you hadn't photographs taken, and I'm
sure that you're a man in demand, and of course
a whole of other keilies as well, which is great
to see.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, that's awesome. I love it. A sort of relation
and it's a great pleasure and it's sort of something
I haven't had my whole career, so it's it's great
now I'm able to perform and you know, obviously get
the notoriroty and have the tension, and you know, it's
great for myself, my sponsors, everyone, and it's just part
of the game, isn't it. So yeah, bring it on.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Looking forward to seeing you do well and get to
the top step of that podium again you Brad Jones Raska,
Thanks so much for your time as always, Andre Homegartner,
and we'll talk again soon. Of that, I'm sure, no worry,
thank you, Thank you. Really busy around the media has
Andre Homgartner.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
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