Heimgartner praises Mostert battle, unhappy with Payne hit
Andre Heimgartner praises Chaz Mostert, whacks Matt Payne over it
Brad Jones Racing driver thrown in the deep end after mid-race Safety Car
Heimgartner still in top 10 despite going eight rounds without a podium
Andre Heimgartner has given mixed appraisal of two Ford rivals after he brought home an unexpected top 10 in Sunday’s chaotic Ipswich finale.
Starting 20th, the Brad Jones Racing driver stopped twice under Safety Car conditions and emerged a shock third behind Cam Waters and Kai Allen.
Buried in a pack of faster cars, Heimgartner had it all to do, and after being picked off by eventual winner Broc Feeney, fell into the clutches of those behind.
Chaz Mostert proved Heimgartner’s biggest headache, yet the BJR driver was able to repel the Ford star for 15 laps. Mostert had a five-second penalty hanging over his head due to earlier contact with Anton De Pasquale, and finally picked off Heimgartner with six laps to go.
At the following corner, Matt Payne roughed up his countryman, with Brodie Kostecki getting by. Payne and Kostecki raced away and were classified fourth and fifth ahead of the penalised Mostert, with Heimgartner seventh.
"Yeah, it was [intense]. I knew as soon as we popped out in third, I'm like, ‘Oh’,” laughed Heimgartner on the Cool Down Lap podcast.
“We didn't quite have the pace to hold on, but I did my best to fight him and hold him off. I thought maybe I could last another 10 laps, but [Mostert] just got the best of me.”
The result kept Heimgartner in the top 10, despite the BJR driver still going without a podium through 25 races and eight rounds. Remarkably, Heimgartner is the only driver in the top 10 without a podium to his name.
Had he tripped over Mostert or Payne, he would have almost certainly dropped out, with Thomas Randle and Allen just behind in the points.
With seven laps to go, Mostert got down the inside at Turn 4. Heimgartner didn't make it too difficult for the Mobil 1 Optus Ford, but it was the Penrite Ford of Payne that made the BJR driver's blood boil.
As they arrived at Turn 6, Payne got into the rear of Heimgartner's R&J Batteries Chevrolet, and got down the inside. It was all the incentive Kostecki needed to drop Heimgartner down another spot.
While pleased to go door-to-door cleanly with Mostert, Heimgartner wasn’t overly pleased with Payne’s conduct, suggesting his compatriot should have been penalised.
"Credit to [Mostert], he actually fought me pretty clean and hard, and didn't just shift me out the way like a lot of people were doing,” Heimgartner added.
“So, big respect to him, unlike Matt Payne who shifted me out of the way, somehow didn't get a penalty. So there's some hard racing, lots of people running people off the road.
“Luckily we had a good, strong fight and managed to hang on for a decent result.”
The 2025 Repco Supercars Championship shifts to Enduro Cup mode at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend on September 12-14. Tickets are on sale now.
