Heimgartner ‘less confused than other people’ on Gen3

Dual Darwin podium finisher Andre Heimgartner believes that he and Brad Jones Racing have a better grasp on Gen3 than some of their Supercars rivals.

Heimgartner put the #8 R&J Batteries Camaro on the front row for both of the Sunday races during the most recent round of the season at Hidden Valley, going on to finish third in the former and second in the latter.

Few have a firm grasp on Gen3 yet, and the New Zealander is one of many to have had some inconsistent results, but he is relatively high on confidence ahead of Event 6 of the season, the NTI Townsville 500, this weekend.

“Everyone is still learning but I think right now we’re less confused than some other people, which is awesome,” he remarked.

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“I think Townsville has been a happy hunting ground and a place we all like going. We’ll all go back to Queensland and enjoy the heat in Townsville.

“It’s very different, it’s a street track and it’s very rough, very short corners compared to Darwin.

“Hidden Valley has very long, loaded corners, so Townsville is a very different challenge.”

Heimgartner is sixth in the drivers’ championship while he and Bryce Fullwood collectively have the #8/#14 BJR ‘team’ third in those standings.

Fullwood is enjoying his best season in the top flight thus far, and has finished fifth to 11th in each of the last four races.

“This weekend, we’ve got two longer races; it’s a different format than what we have had for the last few rounds,” he noted.

“We did well in the longer races in Newcastle, I was able to move forward and make up a lot of places over that distance.

“I’m excited to head back [to Townsville], we have some momentum and it’d be good to carry that on.”

Townsville’s Reid Park Street Circuit is a significant venue for BJR, it being the scene of a stellar qualifying showing in the latter North Queensland event of 2020.

Then, Nick Percat scored a maiden pole position in the first Sunday morning session, before being denied in the second one by none other than team-mate Todd Hazelwood, making for a front row lockout for the Albury squad.

This weekend sees the usual two-race street circuit format, with 15 minutes of qualifying, a Top 10 Shootout, and an 88-lap, 250km race on each of the Saturday and Sunday.

Practice takes place this Friday, July 7.