Kiwi Ace Makes Carrera Cup Return
Heimgartner to Contest Porsche Series After Supercars Stint
Five seasons ago, a teenage Andre Heimgartner was barely old enough to steer a road car when he became the youngest ever driver to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship.
This weekend, the now-21-year-old returns to the Porsche championship with more experience and greater expectations as he lines up in the 2015 title winning 911 GT3 Cup car.
Heimgartner entered the 2012 Carrera Cup season aged just 16 years and 8 months, becoming the youngest driver to race in the championship – eclipsing the previous record set by Jonathon Webb, who was 19 years and 4 months for his 2003 debut.
Heimgartner made immediate impact, placing fourth in his debut race in Adelaide and ultimately finished the season seventh outright. The New Zealander was also the Carrera Cup Australia representative at the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme shootout Vallelunga, Italy, later in the season.
Following his season in Carrera Cup, Heimgartner went on to contest two seasons in the Super2 Series, followed by two seasons in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship before his Carrera Cup return with Sonic Motor Racing Services.
“To sign up with a top ranking team within what is a prestigious and respected racing series is very exciting and I am really looking forward to seeing what we can do together in 2017,” said Heimgartner.
“I am so very lucky to enjoy the support of an amazing sponsor group who have stuck by me throughout what has been a topsy-turvy few months and backed me to enable me to lock in a promising drive for 2017 with a top-running outfit.
“I am also working on co-driving possibilities amongst the Supercars field and am hopeful that I will make a return to the main game sometime in the future.
“I can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store!”
Heimgartner is one of three New Zealanders to added to the Carrera Cup grid this season, joined at the Clipsal 500 by countrymen Jaxon Evans and Simon Ellingham.
Sources: Daniel Jordan/Porsche Cars Australia