Heimgartner’s steps towards Eseries success

Kelly Racing driver Andre Heimgartner has dipped into the technological race to better his chances for the Supercars All Stars Eseries.

Unlike his teammate Rick Kelly, Heimgartner is familiar with the world of online racing having often used a simulator in recent seasons to help his on-track efforts.

But the 24-year-old Kiwi has set about further enhancing his Next Level Racing sim setup in preparation for the upcoming 10-round series.

Among upgrades made are a move to a direct-drive Simagic Dynamic steering wheel base with the steering wheel out of last year’s Supercar, plus the acquisition of both a Supercars-style gear shifter and a Racetech seat.

Each item has been sought to improve the correlation between the feel of racing his sim in line with his real-life NED Racing Mustang.

“I’ve enjoyed the last few weeks upgrading my existing simulator setup to what it is now which is pretty cool with the race seat, race wheel and the Supercars shifter,” Heimgartner said.

“It’s honestly pretty realistic and it does take a fair bit of skill to keep the car on the race track!”

Like many, Heimgartner expects to see a wide range of expertise on the simulators.

“It should be fun, it’s something that definitely takes some practice to get used to so we could be in for some carnage,” he said.

“But at the same time the guys that have been practicing I’d expect to be pretty good.”

It was confirmed this morning that the Eseries will be broadcast on TEN Play and Sky Sports New Zealand, as well as Fox Sports 506 and Kayo.

Streaming will also be available via Supercars’ twitch channel and Facebook page.