Andre Heimgartner is ready to get back behind the wheel for this weekend’s Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint following a massive start-line shunt at The Bend last month.
The incident saw the New Zealand driver rear-end Thomas Randle who had stalled on the line during race two of the OTR SuperSprint.
An impact of 38g was recorded during the collision, hospitalising both drivers in the process.
Although they were both released from hospital on the same day, Heimgartner reported that he struggled with whiplash and headaches in the following weeks.
It has been over two weeks since the incident and the two have recovered with Heimgartner thanking fans for their support.
“Obviously, things did not go our way at The Bend and first and foremost I have to thank the team for all of the work they have put in to ensure we have an R&J Batteries Racing car to roll out at Sandown this weekend,” he said speaking with Supercars.
“The accident was the biggest I’ve had in my career, and I am just thankful that both myself and Tom were able to walk away, relatively unscathed.
“It says a lot about how far the category has come in recent years that, even though the cars were so severely damaged, there was no real threat of fire and we were both okay.
“In the time since The Bend I’ve had a chance to read some of the well wishes online and one thing has struck me – how much this team is loved right across the spectrum of fans and followers of this sport.
“If anything, the experience of the past few weeks has made me all the more determined to bring them success.”
Due to the damage incurred to the car in the incident, Brad Jones Racing (BJR) was required to transform one of its spare Holden Commodore chassis in order for the Kiwi to race at Sandown.
The team of mechanics only had two weeks between Supercars rounds to build the “BJR 007” chassis up.
“The “new” #8 car the team has spent so many hours building back up for me for Sandown is a special one,” Heimgartner added speaking with Supercars.
“BJR 007 – or “Jinx” as the boys have dubbed her – is the car I drove to 3rd place alongside Tim Slade at the 2017 Gold Coast 600.
“The team has resurrected #8 and through the experience, we’ve all grown stronger and ready to tackle whatever the rest of the season brings our way.”
The Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint is currently underway with qualifying kicking off on Saturday 20 at 3:15PM in preparation for the race on Sunday.
Main image: Andre Heimgartner Facebook
