Unsung hero praised after snapping 3199-day drought

Andre Heimgartner has praised the instant impact of veteran engineer Phil Keed, who delivered a drought-breaker of his own in Tasmania.

Heimgartner and Brad Jones Racing stole the show on Tasmania Saturday, the Kiwi outlasting Broc Feeney to deliver a stunning victory for Toyota.

It was a first win for Heimgartner and BJR since Taupō 2024, with Toyota soaring to a third Supercars race win in just five rounds.

Key to the victory was Keed, who was moved onto Heimgartner’s car for 2026 after Bryce Fullwood departed, and BJR downscaled to three entries.

Keed has been a fixture of the Supercars paddock for over 20 years, notably forming a strong partnership with Fabian Coulthard at BJR before the duo moved to DJR Team Penske in 2016.

After a strong 2017 season, with Coulthard challenging for the title, Keed was moved on by the team. He returned with Team 18 in 2019, before rejoining BJR in 2022 alongside Fullwood.

With Tony Woodward poached by Blanchard Racing Team alongside James Golding, Heimgartner needed a new engineer. Keed moved to the #8 entry, and duly ended a 263-race winless run of his own, dating back to Sydney 2017.

That result wasn’t lost on Heimgartner, who told Supercars.com: "Phil's obviously well-known in the paddock and hadn't won a race for nearly 10 years.

“It was great to get him a bit of sugar. He’s got a pep in his step, and he's a bit of a character, as we all know.

"Engineering in our sport is very, very important, and he’s great. It's just as important for me to have a pep in my step as it is for Phil and the whole team.

“He is pretty motivated and we got a lot of energy out of that result, so hopefully it keeps going in the right direction.”

Heimgartner and Woodward achieved success between 2022 and 2025, with his 12 podiums headlined by the 2024 win.

Keed and Heimgartner had shared garages for four years, yet had never worked together on the same car. After just five rounds, Heimgartner is enjoying the path he and Keed are on.

"It's been nice to have a fresh face, a fresh voice in my ear and someone who has different perspectives. He also has gone quite well at Tassie, as documented, and also Darwin,” Heimgartner said.

“It gives you confidence and I think we're only getting stronger as an engineer and driver combo. He’s very, very experienced, so it gives me a nice bit of confidence in that.

"Darwin for us has been great. Last year, I finished fourth in one of the races amid quite a tough time speed-wise. With Phil, I think there's a bit of magic there to be had, and hopefully we can extract it like in Tassie.”

Heimgartner sits 12th in the championship heading to Darwin on June 19-21.