Kiwi keen to get behind real wheel
After more than three months, the Supercars championship is back up and running this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Heading into the event, Kiwi Scott McLaughlin leads the series after the only round so far in 2020, at Adelaide, with Jamie Whincup second and Chaz Mostert third.
Kelly Racing’s New Zealander Andre Heimgartner is champing at the bit to go racing again.
“I can’t wait to get back into it and have a bit of a steer,” he said. “It’s been so long just doing simulator stuff.
“There’s no way doing simulated stuff is like physically being in the car, but I have been doing this [racing cars], as have the other drivers, for a lot of years, so it shouldn’t take long for the body to get back into it again,” said Heimgartner.
“I bet, though, a day or two after the races, I’ll probably feel it. Sitting on a couch isn’t really a good way to get race fit.
“Another big bonus is being able to travel. Being locked inside has been hard when in the past travelling around the country was a normal thing to do.”
Drivers and teams will be in new territory during the two days of racing, as Supercars has introduced a raft of changes for the first post-Covid real world racing.
The biggest change will be the banning of sensors and live data gathering during a race.
Access to data will be permitted only at the end of the race meeting, which might just even the field out.
Races have been shortened and drivers are required to complete at least one pit stop with a minimum of two tyre changes.
Keeping in mind Covid-19 measures, each team will have just six crew members (down from eight) to tend the car and will have to cope with two rattle guns instead of four. Other changes include tyre limits, with three control sets having to be returned to Dunlop at the end of practice.
All these changes will impact on team strategies and car set-ups, but as far as the drivers are concerned, they just want to get behind the wheel and go racing.
“For us drivers, the rule changes don’t really mean that much. There are a few data things and it’ll affect the people in the garage more. We’re only allowed 12 people in total for a twocar team,” said Heimgartner. “There’s a lot to go through as a team but none of it is too complicated. I’m just hoping we can build on the success we’re starting to have with the new car.
“We didn’t get to race at the last round but qualified fifth and ninth, which gives us some confidence we’ll be in the hunt again this weekend. “We’re definitely not coming to this round to be down the back and struggling,” said Heimgartner. Most of the field has been trying to keep sharp by taking part in the official Supercars E series. There will be a few nervous team owners this weekend hoping the brain fades a few of the drivers had in the virtual world won’t transition into the real world.
“Everyone is a professional and has been doing it for a long time,” Heimgartner said. “It will be a bit different jumping straight from a simulator into a car. “You might get the odd person who might make a bit of a mistake and forget it’s reality now. Overall though, you’re not going to see any stupid things being done. “Everyone is looking forward to going back racing so I am pretty sure things will be okay,” he said.