Heimgartner identifies key to catching DJR, SVG

Andre Heimgartner has pinpointed nailing qualifying as key to his Pukekohe trophy hopes.

Heimgartner was third in Friday practice behind Shell V-Power teammates Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison.

The Brad Jones Racing driver beat home another Aucklander in Shane van Gisbergen.

Heimgartner has never finished on the podium on home soil.

The Kiwi is carrying the weight of BJR’s history with the late Jason Richards, and is one of three locals in the field.

Should he manage to overhaul the fast three around him, Heimgartner knows he has to get one-lap pace nailed.

“Throughout this year, we’ve obviously got podiums, and potentially wins if certain things went certain ways,” he said.

“But we just haven’t been able to keep up with obviously [the Shell V-Power] guys or Shane,” he said.

“We’ve been working pretty hard on the race pace and I think we made some good gains at Sandown and we just reversed that and couldn’t qualify there.

“I think this weekend, if we can qualify right, we have the tools to make, hopefully, a good race car, and you never know what can happen.

“But you can never sort of predict what you’re going to do because everyone’s just trying so hard, especially at the front.

“It’s never, never easy.”

Heimgartner’s Friday flyer included a slow final sector, suggesting there is more pace in the #8 R&J Batteries Holden.

Podiums in Perth and Winton proved Heimgartner’s mettle, even if form as wavered of late.

Heimgartner picked up results of 23rd, sixth, and 13th at Sandown.

It came after he scored 12 top 10s in a row prior to his start-line crash at The Bend.

Given his deficit to De Pasquale, Heimgartner knows he can also find time in himself.

“I just took a wide berth all the way around the last corner,” Heimgartner said of his flyer.

“I’m not scared of the apex… but it’s just one of those things when you’re trying to tune a car for different areas and stuff.

“It’s driving styles and those little things that you need to work on tonight.”

Practice 2 will commence at 11:35am local time/9:35am AEST.