Andre Heimgartner left with "what the hell" feeling
BJR driver finished 12th, 10th and 14th at Queensland Raceway
Heimgartner now 142 points behind 10th heading to enduros
Such was the confusing nature of Andre Heimgartner's Ipswich weekend, that all he could do at the end of the weekend was simply ask, "What the hell?"
It was by no means a bad round, especially given Brad Jones Racing started off well behind the eight ball on speed in Friday practice, and his margin to the Finals remained relatively steady.
However, finishes of 12th, 10th and 14th weren't quite what the Kiwi had in mind, especially when he had charged from 12th to ninth on the opening lap of the 200km finale.
Tyre life at the end of stints proved to be a struggle for the entire Toyota fleet across the weekend, with Heimgartner's teammate Cameron Hill and Walkinshaw TWG Racing's Chaz Mostert also fading late in stints.
Heimgartner was still pleased to be on the fringes of the top 10 across the course of the weekend, armed with Toyota's new 'B-grade' engine introduced ahead of the Ryco Enduro Cup.
"I was more just looking at it going, 'What the hell?'" quipped Heimgartner on the Equip Super Cool Down Lap.
"It was solid. It wasn't amazing, it wasn't terrible, but today I think there was something a bit wrong in the race, so I just pedalled my way backwards.
"I had a good start, I was up to ninth, and I just couldn't keep up, had a bit of a feature going on, so we'll analyse that, but I'll say there's some good progress on our side and some consistency.
"We're in or around the top 10 most of the weekend, but I think the test day is coming at a good time, so we'll see if we can unlock some stuff.
"[Sunday] was just one of those ones where unfortunately something wasn't quite right on the car."
Heimgartner will form half of an intriguing combination with former teammate Bryce Fullwood, who returns to BJR having ended a four-year full-time stint with the Albury squad at the conclusion of 2025.
The vastly experienced combination could shape as one of the combinations to watch, and Heimgartner is already revelling in working alongside his former intra-team rival.
When asked if he was looking forward to the enduros, Heimgartner replied: "I'm excited, I can't wait. It's going to be good.
"I like The Bend, and having Bryce here has been a really good dynamic. We obviously worked together for a long time, and it's obviously different when he's on your car and you're working together, rather than the competition within the team.
"It's actually really good, he's worked with Phil Keed as well, obviously the last four years or something, so the dynamic is just like we slot straight in.
"Even this weekend it's been great having him here and around, and it feels natural.
"I'm really excited, and I've been enjoying my racing lately and the change and everything, so it's good."
Heimgartner is 13th in points, 142 points outside the Finals bubble, heading into the AirTouch 500 at The Bend from September 11-13. Tickets are on sale now.
