Why Feeney was unable to land killer blow on Heimgartner
Broc Feeney unable to land killer blow on Andre Heimgartner in Race 15
Triple Eight star refused to be sucked into using contact at hairpin in lead battle
Heimgartner claimed first Toyota win, Feeney extended lead with second
Broc Feeney used every trick in the book, but ceded he didn’t have enough to outdrive Andre Heimgartner in the second race of the Tyrepower Tasmania Super 440.
Try as he might, Feeney was unable to displace Toyota rival Heimgartner in a thrilling exchange in the second Tasmania sprint on Saturday.
Feeney hounded Heimgartner in the first stint, notably opting for the low line in contrast to the Kiwi’s high line at the Turn 4 hairpin.
Time and again, Heimgartner held on and retained track position, with Feeney unable to land the killer blow before the pit stops.
When asked by Supercars.com about his decision to repeatedly use the high line, Heimgartner said: “It’s always a fine line there whether you cut down and block, or go high and get the drive and cover it that way.
“Obviously, if you're blocking, it drags you back into everyone else. [Feeney] played nice and fair. A lot of other guys just would've hit you and unsettled you, and got the run off.
“It was all pretty clean and managed to keep it under control.”
Supercars.com posed the question to Feeney, albeit with regard to the alternate line. Feeney replied: “I think every time I'd be on his rear bar coming out of [Turns] 2 and 3, he would block. But when he was a couple of car lengths in front, he'd still run the high line.
“It nearly worked out for me a couple times. In an ideal world, you do sort of run up and rub him a little bit, and then get the side draft.
“But I was just struggling a little bit for traction from running the low line. So every time I'd pull a gear, I'd chatter, and he'd just get that little bit further away.”
Drivers have, through the years, bumped the car in front to try and get the side draft down the back straight. Feeney, though, didn’t want to get sucked into such a move, and risk spinning the Toyota and incurring a penalty.
“It’s a tough one at the hairpin. If you get the bump wrong, you turn someone, so it's always challenging what to do,” Feeney said.
“There were a few times where I didn't expect to get so close, and he'd run a little bit wide, and I'd get a good run. He did a great job today.”
The final day of the Tyrepower Tasmania Super 440 begins with Boost Mobile Qualifying for Race 16 on Sunday morning at 11:35am AEST.
