BJR drivers visit Kiwi students ahead of ITM Taupō Super 440
BJR drivers visit Kiwi students ahead of ITM Taupō Super 440
Drivers tackle questions from Bruce McLaren Intermediate School students in Auckland
ITM Taupō Super 440 track action commences on Friday April 11
The Brad Jones Racing squad took time out of their busy schedule to visit Bruce McLaren Intermediate School in Auckland ahead of this weekend’s ITM Taupō Super 440.
After a morning of media commitments on live national television, Kiwi duo Andre Heimgartner and Jaxon Evans, along with Australian teammates Macauley Jones and Bryce Fullwood, spent the morning speaking with students about their careers, their journey to Supercars, and what it takes to compete at the highest level of Australian motorsport.
The visit also gave students the chance to get up close with the Jason Richards Trophy, awarded to the highest points scorer across this weekend’s three races at Taupō International Motorsport Park.
For Heimgartner, the visit was especially meaningful. The Auckland-born driver came agonisingly close to winning the Jason Richards Trophy in 2024, after claiming victory in the inaugural Taupō race. He ultimately missed out by just six points to eventual round winner Anton De Pasquale.
Students came prepared with questions for the four Supercars drivers, eager to learn about life on and off the track, as well as what it takes to compete in one of Australasia’s most competitive motorsport categories.
“The Jason Richards Trophy means a lot to all of us Kiwis in the field,” Heimgartner said.
“To come so close last year definitely adds motivation heading into this weekend.”
The visit was part of a wider fan engagement push, with drivers from all Supercars teams meeting fans across Taupō, Rotorua, Auckland and other parts of New Zealand’s North Island, ahead of Thursday's official launch event – the Taupō Track to Town.
The ITM Taupō Super 440 marks Round 3 of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship, with defending champion Will Brown leading the points standings by just seven points over Ford’s Cam Waters. Brown was a race winner at Taupō in 2024 and will be looking to extend his advantage this weekend.
The race weekend features two 120km sprint races on Saturday, followed by a 200km finale on Sunday. Supercars will hit the track for the first time on Friday, with Practice 1 set for 12:10pm local time.
Saturday will feature back-to-back Boost Mobile Qualifying sessions to set the grid for Races 8 and 9, while Sunday’s action will kick off with the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout before Race 10.
Fans can catch all the action live on Sky Sport in New Zealand and on Foxtel and Kayo in Australia. Highlights will also air on the Seven Network and 7plus.
