The Andre way: Heimgartner looks inward to disprove doubts

You don’t start 318 Supercars races and not carry doubts at some stage. Andre Heimgartner has faced that reality many times over the journey.

Yet, there was something different about Heimgartner’s recent breakthrough win in Tasmania, which he claimed in a car that was just 15 races old.

Win from pole after holding out Broc Feeney for nearly 20 laps, in what was the longest period of sustained pressure for the lead of a race that we’ve seen in the last 10 years? Anyone would take it.

Heimgartner said after the race that he wished he had more wins. That’s fair enough. But when they’re hard to come by, you have to appreciate results like that.

Think of the short-lived debut season with Super Black Racing in 2015, being cut loose from Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, the horror Bend smash in 2022, and repeated Bathurst heartbreaks.

Think of any possible heartbreak you could have in Supercars, and Heimgartner has nearly ticked them all off.

At the centre of it all is self-doubt, which while not overtly crippling for Heimgartner, has remained ever present across his decade in Supercars.

So, putting one over Feeney under the most extreme pressure was more than a win — it was an ‘F you’ to the internal doubts.

"I'm pretty hard on little mistakes I make, and there's been performances before that you always pick holes in or there's things you could've done better,” Heimgartner told Supercars.com.

"But, as far as a complete performance, I'd say all of my wins so far have been along that line. It's a performance you can look back at and go, 'Okay, I maximised everything’.

“Sometimes there's a parrot on your shoulder that barks in your ear, so it’s nice to shut him up with some facts and proof.”

Being labelled Brad Jones Racing’s ’spearhead’ has its peaks and troughs. Get the result, and you’re vindicated. Miss out, and the questions come rolling back.

The performance has always been there, and the experts have been watching. Supercars Hall of Famer Mark Skaife labelled Heimgartner's braking performance as "out of control," with 2015 Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom praised him for being "very strategic in how he drove."

The story is well publicised, but had Ash Walsh not been injured before the 2017 enduros, Heimgartner wouldn’t be in this position. A career in finance broking was on the cards, and racing appeared an afterthought. That hardship is well behind Heimgartner, though, who after putting BJR back on top, wants to work out how to be there more often.

“I’ve had time to reflect, and obviously it's a pretty cool achievement,” said Heimgartner, who turns 31 on Monday.

“We've been focused on the bigger picture, that is trying to figure out how we can do it more often.

“At the same time, it’s a great result for our team and a good boost. I think we needed it at this time for such a new program."

Fears of a stunning top 10 on debut for Toyota in Sydney being a flash in the pan were proven by a tough run through Melbourne and the ITM NZ Double Header. In a 10-race stretch, Heimgartner managed three top 10s, at an average finish of 13.0.

All the while, Ryan Wood blazed to a podium in Melbourne, win in Taupō and was on the brink of Jason Richards Trophy glory before his engine gave up in Christchurch.

Why not Heimgartner? It wasn’t through a lack of trying, with the Kiwi coy when asked if he felt he was driving better than ever.

As has been the case through 300-plus races, Heimgartner had to be patient — and like The Bend 2021 and Taupō 2024, he didn’t waste his opportunity.

“Deep down you want to be leading your brand of car. It was good to see that Walkinshaws were going well, because it gave us sort of the hope that the cars had it in them,” Heimgartner said.

“We do think it's quite a good package. It was good to see Woody get those results. At the first round we had some solid ones too.

“Sometimes you wish you were the one up there fighting. But I think at this point, we're just pleased that we've got a really competitive package under us.”