Heimgartner wins on debut in Australia

In an impressive debut fourteen-year-old Andre Heimgartner of Dannemora in Auckland has won the opening round of the Victorian Formula Ford Championship at his first ever race meeting on Australian soil.

Driving his Evans Motorsport Group Mygale SJ08a at the Winton circuit in rural Victoria Andre showed his ability by taking a car that was handling poorly at the beginning of the weekend and
turning it into a winner by the end of the first round of the series over the weekend of 6/7 March. Andre's first Australian race win came in the final race of the round and it also gave him the round victory on his first appearance across the Tasman.

Andre was greeted by torrential rain when he arrived at the circuit for testing on the day prior to the meeting. While Andre is quite comfortable in the rain the young kiwi was disappointed to discover the car had some major issues. As the team began to make changes to the car the reason for the handling problems became evident when a cracked bellhousing was discovered.

The bellhousing was repaired but the lost time meant there had been little time to correct the handling issues and Heimgartner qualified 7th in the rain for the first of the four races. Andre battled the handling gremlins throughout the first race held in dry conditions, climbing up to 5th before eventually finishing 7th of the 19 cars. The rain returned for the second race but the teenager was happier with a much improved car. A great start saw Heimgartner in the lead by the end of the first lap, a lead he held until the final circuit when one of his rivals drafted past. However a second place so early in the round was a great effort.

The mixed weather conditions continued in the third race as the track was now dry again. Starting from second on the grid Andre was hit by another competitor who launched over the top of the Mygale leaving a tyre mark on his helmet. All Andre can remember is seeing the underside of the other car flying over top of him. The Mygale suffered superficial damage and Andre dropped back to a distant third before a spin by the second placed competitor on the final lap saw Andre regain second place.

Andre's first win on Australian soil came in the final race. He led home by 2 seconds after an eventful race which he led for most of the way.

At the conclusion of the four races Andre and Australian Championship competitor Ben Jurack tied on points for the round, victory going to Andre on countback.

Heimgartner will bypass the final round of the Zoagn New Zealand Formula Ford Championship at Taupo this weekend to instead contest a round of the South Island Formula Ford Championship at Teretonga Park.

Heimgartner currently sits an impressive fourth overall in the national championship in his rookie season but he leads the South Island Championship and is keen to add that title to his CV along with the New Zealand Winter Formula Ford Series title he won earlier in the season.

While he will miss the final round of the Zoagn NZ Formula Ford Championship Heimgartner will return next season where he should be a championship contender from the outset.

The next round of the Victorian Championship is at Phillip Island over the weekend of 17/18 April.

Andre's New Zealand campaign is supported by New Balance, Harmony Homes and Superlux Lighting.