The cars are on the water, and some Supercars drivers have been visiting New Zealand in preparation for the double header at Taupō, on April 10-12, and Christchurch, April 17-19.
It’s the first time the Supercars championship has held two rounds in New Zealand, with cars and team members dueto arrive next week. Since the first Supercars round in New Zealand, about 2.3 million fans have attended race events across the North Island, and now South Island fans get a chance to have their own round.
Andre Heimgartner, along with Matthew Payne and Ryan Wood, make up the three Kiwi drivers in the field. This week, Heimgartner made a flying visit to his old Point View primary school in Auckland, where he caught up with staff from 20 years ago.
“I remember driving my go-kart out the back, trying to push it up this hill here for my dad to come collect me, and different stuff like that.”
Drivers will now have two events in which to challenge for one of the most prestigious Supercars trophies. The driver who collects the most points over the two Kiwi rounds is awarded the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, named after the Kiwi driver who succumbed to cancer in 2011.
The Jason Richards Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the driver with the most points over the two New Zealand rounds.
“Coming to New Zealand for all Kiwis is special, and for myself it’s something that I’m appreciating more,” he said.
“There’s definitely so many memories everywhere I look, and to come back and race in front of the home crowd with a motorsport fraternity that I grew up with, there’s just something about it that sort of pulls at your heart a bit.”
Taupō has hosted the series twice, while a revamped Ruapuna will be a new venue for all the teams and drivers. The Kiwis in the field may have a slight advantage with Heimgartner, Payne and Wood all having cut a few laps around the track early in their respective careers.
“It’s even tighter and more technical than Taupō,” Heimgartner said of Ruapuna. ”So, who knows how that’s going to go with supercars, but hopefully it’s a good show. It’s great for fans because you can actually see the whole track from any vantage point, which is a plus.
“Everybody’s starting from a level playing field down there. No one’s really done a massive amount of laps there, apart from obviously the Kiwis. It gives us a bit of a leg-up, but other than a few laps over Christmas, it’s been a long time since I raced there.”
His Brad Jones Racing team switched to Toyota for this season and, despite some early hiccups, Heimgartner is quite pleased with the progress the team is making with the car. He managed a couple of top 10 finishes at the last round in Melbourne and is looking to continue the momentum in New Zealand.
“I think there’s some good momentum and it’s all much more positive, I think, than anyone thought. There are a few different characteristics and [the] engine is slightly different [in] how it delivers the power, but overall it’s surprisingly similar [to last year’s car].
“I don’t think we could expect much more so early in the season. There’s some good potential there, so I’m really looking forward to the next few rounds and especially the next two being in New Zealand.”
