Heimgartner splashes to Taupo opener victory

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The Auckland-born driver took the lead after the primary of two pit cycles on a moist 3.3km Taupo Worldwide Motorsport Park.

Heimgartner took benefit of Brad Jones Racing’s ace pitcrew, the almost perennial winner of Supercars’ groups pitstop rankings, to leap previous early chief Will Brown (Triple Eight Chevrolet), and held off Chaz Mostert for a lot of the first half of the race.

When Mostert fell from rivalry when a right-rear wheel got here adrift instantly after his second cease, Heimgartner motored dwelling to take a 1.01s victory.

“I’m speechless,” mentioned Heimgartner, whose ends in the final 5 races have been 18th, 18th, 14th, twentieth and seventeenth.

“I hoped to drive a bit cooler however he [Mostert] was throwing warning to the wind. It was fairly slippery, particularly once we went out on the brand new tyres. I at all times love the moist, it’s at all times good enjoyable!”

Second and third have been Dick Johnson’s two drivers Will Davison and Anton de Pasquale, and like Heimgartner it was an eye-opening reversal of kind after each of their Ford Mustangs struggled for pace on the earlier spherical at Albert Park.

Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford Mustang GT

Photograph by: Edge Photographics

Fourth place was spectacular rookie Ryan Wood, because the 20-year-old New Zealander stayed away from various early incidents and was dazzling within the changeable situations to present Walkinshaw Andretti United a reward for displaying religion in such a younger driver.

Brown, who introduced a 17-point championship factors result in New Zealand, completed fifth on the street however ninth within the general outcomes, after choosing up a penalty from an incident at first of the race after one in every of his wheelnuts rolled throughout the pitlane.

Jack Le Brocq flew the flag for Erebus Motorsport with a promoted fifth place after a heady drive from sixteenth on the grid, although it was a low-key return to Supercars for his team-mate Brodie Kostecki.

After beginning mid-pack the 2023 champion completed in sixteenth place, after choosing up a 15-second time penalty for carting James Courtney off the circuit on lap 15.

Richie Stanaway went from twenty third to sixth, having been up and down the sphere, giving the soaked native followers three of their countrymen within the high six. James Golding (PremiAir Racing Chevrolet) and polesitter Cam Waters (Tickford Ford) have been subsequent, Waters making floor after being caught up in a startline incident, as Brown and Jaxon Evans rounded out the highest 10.

The web consequence implies that Brown (659) has prolonged his factors lead over Feeney (600), with Mostert third on 517. Together with his sturdy drive Stanaway jumps to fourth on 454 forward of Nick Percat.

A second 60-lap race is ready for Sunday at 3:05pm native time.