Andre Heimgartner claims historic win for BJR in Tasmania
Andre Heimgartner has claimed the first pole position and race win for Brad Jones Racing as a Toyota team in Supercars.
Heimgartner showed incredible speed across both qualifying sessions but really stamped his mark on the second outing, putting the R&J Batteries GR Supra on pole position.
A masterclass from the Kiwi driver in Race 15, even under pressure, meant Heimgartner got to taste the champagne on Saturday at the Tasmania Super 440.
Race 14
50 Laps
Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries GR Supra) qualified 4th
Cameron Hill (#14 Wrest Point & Country Club Tasmania GR Supra) qualified 6th
Macauley Jones (#96 Summit Fleet Racing GR Supra) qualified 14th
Heimgartner launched from fourth and was fighting for a podium spot early in the race. The team called him to pit lane on lap 26 for a new set of rear tyres. It was an absolutely rapid stop from the crew and Heimgartner jumped Brodie Kostecki in pit lane. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the grip to stay ahead and eventually finished in a strong 5th position.
Hill was the first of the BJR cars to stop, also taking a set of rear tyres. He was then able to push through to 7th by the end of the race.
Jones struggled with car balance during the race and wasn’t able to move forward, with the #96 finishing in 20th.
Race 15 - Race Winner
50 Laps
Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries GR Supra) qualified 1st
Cameron Hill (#14 Wrest Point & Country Club Tasmania GR Supra) qualified 7th
Macauley Jones (#96 Summit Fleet Racing GR Supra) qualified 21st
Heimgartner claimed an incredible first win for Brad Jones Racing as a Toyota team in Supercars from pole position. He was under pressure at the start of the race but managed to eek out a small lead by the time the pit stop cycle came into effect. The BJR crew then put on another epic performance in pitlane, keeping the Kiwi in the effective lead as he led pitlane. Heimgartner was then able to come across the line with 3.5 seconds over Broc Feeney in second. The team was ecstatic with the result and celebrated the incredible milestone at the Symmons Plains podium.
Hill added to BJR’s points haul on Saturday with a great 8th place finish
Jones had a tough start to race 15 which unfortunately kept him buried in the pack, he saw the flag in 19th.
QUOTEBOARD
SUPERCARS
Andre Heimgartner, #8 R&J Batteries Toyota GR Supra
“Awesome to get the race win. It's just a big relief and good payback for everyone. It's been a massive start to the year, and it's been up and down but it's great to get that result and be able to execute as a team effort once again with great pit stops. So, really, really happy and I don't think it could have turned out much better with a pole and a win and a solid top five in the race before. Hopefully it puts a pep in everyone's step and we can channel that energy going forward and try and get some momentum going.”
Cameron Hill, #14 Wrest Point & Country Club Tasmania Racing Toyota GR Supra
“Today was very good. We had two top 10 qualifying’s and two top 10 race results. We had a very speedy car and it was very exciting to see Andre get that pole position and convert it to a race win so a fantastic day for the whole Brad Jones Racing team.”
Macauley Jones, #96 Summit Fleet Racing Toyota GR Supra
“I was pretty happy with qualifying for race one. We were pretty close to being in the top 10. I missed the gear on my best lap and struggled in the race. The car was very pushy, and I just can't get it to rotate so I can get it to drive off the corners, and it makes me weak going into the next corner and it was pretty much the same in the second race. Thought the understeer was a little bit better, but just still can't quite get the car to rotate, so we’ll have a really good look through all the data tonight and see where we come up tomorrow.”