Baptism of Fire For Andre Heimgartner

Dec 04, 2007

It has been a baptism of fire for twelve-year-old Andre Heimgartner over the past week as the youngster tackles the N. Z. Formula First Championship in his first season of motor racing. However the youngest competitor in the championship is coping with everything that comes his way and is improving every time he takes to the track.

Heimgartner from Dannemora, Auckland East, comes from a karting background but this season he has moved into single seater racing cars driving his Superlux Lighting Products Sabre in the eight-round championship. Two weekend’s ago on his first visit to Manfeild Autocourse in Feilding his efforts came to an abrupt end in the first race of the round when two cars spun across the track in front of him leaving him nowhere to go. The Sabre was badly damaged and repairs were only completed late on Thursday night to allow him to front up for Round 3 of the series at Pukekohe Park Raceway, south of Auckland last weekend.

The problems from the previous round meant that Heimgartner faced the dual challenge of learning the Pukekohe circuit while trying to find an ideal set-up for the repaired car at the same time. Initially Andre struggled with the car set-up, finding that the steering wheel was vibrating badly and requiring all his strength just to hold it steady.

However he applied himself, getting to grips with the car while learning his way around the high-speed Pukekohe track at the same time. Andre’s progress could be seen as he steadily improved as the weekend progressed. After qualifying twenty-third Andre finished the third and final race of the round seventeenth as many around him came to grief.

“Every time he went out he went a bit faster and we’re pleased with that, ‘ said Team Manager Gary Brant at the conclusion of the weekend. “It’s a pretty daunting circuit, “ continued Brant. “It’s a very fast track and it was a real eye opener for Andre. “ Testing on Friday was the first time the Year 7 Somerville Intermediate School student had driven on the circuit. However in each session and the three races Andre steadily improved, recording his best lap time of 1 minute 18.811 seconds in the third and final race on Sunday afternoon.

Andre’s father, Schaeffer Oils N. Z. Super Sedan Series competitor Mark Heimgartner, rated his sons performance over the weekend as a “man-sized job. “He struggled with the handling early on and Pukekohe is a very different circuit. Taupo and Manfeild where the series also visits are more like the circuits Andre would have encountered in karting while Pukekohe is very tactical, there’s a lot of drafting. “

Andre has been racing karts since he was 7-years-old, firstly in the Cadet Class and more recently in the Junior Restricted grade. He is also an accomplished cross country athlete and soccer player.

Andre’s major sponsors in the 2007/2008 N. Z. Formula First Championship are Superlux Lighting Products, Planet Commodore and Gartner Enterprises.

Heimgartner will compete in the next round of the 2007/2008 N. Z. Formula First Championship when it takes place at Manfeild Autocourse at Feilding in the Manawatu over the weekend of 12/13 January