Heimgartner's heartfelt message to supporters

Andre Heimgartner has delivered an earnest message to his supporters ahead of this weekend's Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint.

It comes after the Brad Jones Racing driver suffered a massive start-line crash at the Bend last month.

The New Zealand driver was involved in a major crash in the first Sunday race of the OTR SuperSprint, rear-ending a stalled Thomas Randle on the line.

Both drivers were hospitalised after the 38g impact but were discharged on the same day.

Now having time to recover between Supercar events, both Heimgartner and Randle will return to Sandown this weekend.

It comes after a mammoth effort by the Albury-based team to transform a spare chassis, BJR 007, for the Kiwi to race at the Melbourne circuit.

The team raced against time to complete extensive work, with just over two weeks until the next round at Sandown.

Heimgartner, meanwhile, has recovered from whiplash and headaches that plagued him during his Supercars Eseries appearances.

Now, in a note to his fans, the 27-year-old thanked them for their support and hailed his team’s efforts.

“Well. What a few weeks it has been,” Heimgartner said.

“Obviously, things did not go our way at The Bend and first and foremost I have to thank the team for all of the work they have put in to ensure we have an R&J Batteries Racing car to roll out at Sandown this weekend.

“Just like the car, I had to put some work (and rest) in to get myself ready both physically and mentally to go again, but I am feeling 100 percent and ready to try to get back some of the ground we lost, missing the last two races at The Bend.

“The accident was the biggest I've had in my career, and I am just thankful that both myself and Tom were able to walk away, relatively unscathed.

“It says a lot about how far the category has come in recent years that, even though the cars were so severely damaged, there was no real threat of fire and we were both okay.

“The "new" #8 car the team has spent so many hours building back up for me for Sandown is a special one.

“BJR 007 - or "Jinx" as the boys have dubbed her - is the car I drove to 3rd place alongside Tim Slade at the 2017 Gold Coast 600.

“At the time I had been racing Carerra Cup and BJR offered me a drive at both Bathurst and the Gold Coast after Ash Walsh was unfortunately injured in an accident in testing.

“For me, it was a turning point in my career and really forged a bond with the whole BJR team that I feel has paved the way for my return this season.

“This team is made up of people who go the extra mile.

“In the time since The Bend I've had a chance to read some of the well wishes online and one thing has struck me - how much this team is loved right across the spectrum of fans and followers of this sport.

“If anything, the experience of the past few weeks has made me all the more determined to bring them success.

“We go to Sandown with a new resolve. 007 is back.

“The team has resurrected #8 and through the experience, we've all grown stronger and ready to tackle whatever the rest of the season brings our way.

“Our plan is simple this weekend - get back out there, get amongst it and like Bond - shake things up a little.”

Cars will hit the track at Sandown on Friday. Purchase your tickets now.