The Bend Supercars: Heimgartner takes maiden win despite penalty
Andre Heimgartner took a career-first Supercars race victory at The Bend despite being served a five-second penalty for an unsafe release, as Kelly Grove Racing ended a three-year win drought.
The race got off to a wild start in damp conditions, with three different leaders on the opening lap. The first was Chaz Mostert, who got the best of the start from the outside of the front row.
Behind him Heimgartner and Anton De Pasquale bashed doors as they squabbled over second place, the latter winning out after running side-by-side through the first couple of corners.
Mostert then ran wide which allowed De Pasquale to grab the lead, only for the Dick Johnson Racing driver to run wide himself at the very next corner. That opened the door for Heimgartner to slide into the lead.
Once in front, there was no stopping the Mustang driver who pulled a 7s lead in a dominant first stint. But KGR very nearly threw the win away with a costly mistake during Heimgartner's lap 7 stop when he was released straight into the side of Jamie Whincup, resulting in a five-second penalty.
He had the pace to build the gap, but spent the rest of the race at risk of a late Safety Car costing him dearly. But luckily for the 25-year-old, the race ran green to the end, Heimgartner the KGR team's first Supercars win since Rick Kelly's Winton 2018 triumph by 3.9s once the penalty was applied.
"[The team] never told me [about the penalty], I knew," said Heimgartner.
"When we had contact I was like, 'Oh geez that just made it a lot harder for myself' and I knew I had to get five seconds. On the last lap it was 4.5 seconds so I just knew, but they didn’t tell me.
Podium: Race winner Andre Heimgartner, Kelly Grove Racing Ford, second place Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United Holden, third place Anton de Pasquale, Dick Johnson Racing Ford
Photo by: Edge Photographics
"I’m just over the moon that I was able to get that five seconds and get the win.
“I’m just relieved. It’s been a long time, I was in and out of the category. Thankfully Todd [Kelly] gave me the chance to come back into the category and race for his team and it’s been really good so far."
Mostert finished second ahead of De Pasquale and Cam Waters, the Ford pair spending the last few laps locked in battle with Nick Percat.
BJR driver Percat was a surprise contender in the race, having started dead last after the team's horror showing in qualifying. But the team then opted to start three of its cars - including Percat - on slicks, which paid off beautifully. The slick quickly became the tyre to be on, Percat able to run long – until four laps from home – as he moved his way up the field.
He re-joined fourth after making his stop and was in the fight for the podium, only to make a small mistake on the last lap. That meant he had to settle for fifth.
Triple Eight had a tough day by its standards, headlined by jammed air spike hose during Shane van Gisbergen's stop. The Kiwi then made good headway, only to take an off-track excursion with a few laps to go.
The points leader ended up seventh, one place behind team-mate Whincup.
Race results:
| Cla | # | Driver | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 |  Andre Heimgartner | Ford Mustang GT | |
| 2 | 25 |  Chaz Mostert | Holden Commodore ZB | 3.979 |
| 3 | 11 | Anton De Pasquale | Ford Mustang GT | 8.913 |
| 4 | 6 | Cameron Waters | Ford Mustang GT | 10.459 |
| 5 | 8 | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore ZB | 10.778 |
| 6 | 88 | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore ZB | 11.916 |
| 7 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore ZB | 25.374 |
| 8 | 17 | Will Davison | Ford Mustang GT | 27.450 |
| 9 | 99 | Brodie Kostecki | Holden Commodore ZB | 31.996 |
| 10 | 5 | Jack Le Brocq | Ford Mustang GT | 33.386 |
| 11 | 9 | Will Brown | Holden Commodore ZB | 36.619 |
| 12 | 44 | James Courtney | Ford Mustang GT | 37.802 |
| 13 | 20 | Scott Pye | Holden Commodore ZB | 39.447 |
| 14 | 3 | Tim Slade | Ford Mustang GT | 39.766 |
| 15 | 14 | Todd Hazelwood | Holden Commodore ZB | 43.555 |
| 16 | 2 | Bryce Fullwood | Holden Commodore ZB | 43.721 |
| 17 | 55 | Thomas Randle | Ford Mustang GT | 44.567 |
| 18 | 35 | Zane Goddard | Holden Commodore ZB | 45.857 |
| 19 | 27 | Kurt Kostecki | Holden Commodore ZB | 55.247 |
| 20 | 19 | Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore ZB | 55.638 |
| 21 | 34 | Jake Kostecki | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'00.297 |
| 22 | 96 | Macauley Jones | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'00.351 |
| 23 | 4 | Jack Smith | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'17.281 |
| 24 | 22 | Garry Jacobson | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'32.548 |
| 25 | 18 | Mark Winterbottom | Holden Commodore ZB | 2 Laps |
| 26 | David Reynolds | Ford Mustang GT | 13 Laps | |
| View full results | ||||
Delayed start to 2022 Supercars season mooted
The Bend Supercars: De Pasquale and Waters kick-start season with victories
Crompton steps away from Supercars Commission
Neil Crompton has stepped away from the Supercars Commission following a stint as interim chairman.
Supercars The Bend: Van Gisbergen triumphs in wet finale to seal hat-trick
Shane van Gisbergen overcame an early challenge from Cam Waters to win a wet final race and complete a hat-trick at The Bend.
Supercars The Bend: Van Gisbergen cruises to victory
Shane van Gisbergen cruised to victory in the opening heat of The Bend Supercars rounds.
McLaughlin laments "inevitable" demise of Pukekohe Supercars track
Three-time Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin says the impending closure of the famous Pukekohe Park circuit in his native New Zealand is sad but inevitable.
When Nissan ruled Australia with its 'Godzilla' Group A special
The Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R was the fastest Group A touring car ever. It cleaned up at the Bathurst 1000 and in the Australian Touring Car Championship, and is fondly remembered by the drivers who monstered it to success on the world-famous Mount Panorama
Ranking the top 10 Supercars drivers of 2021
It may have been a one-man title fight in Supercars this season, but behind dominant champion Shane van Gisbergen were some fascinating performances. Autosport picks out the best drivers of the 2021 campaign.
The well-travelled racer now Supercars' elder statesman
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing, as Andrew van Leeuwen explains
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
OPINION: Roger Penske's operation helped lift Dick Johnson's faltering Ford team back to the top of Australian tin-tops. But, despite The Captain's departure, along with star driver Scott McLaughlin, there's no reason to expect an imminent decline from DJR
Why Whincup's next move is no calculated gamble
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But the team's outgoing boss Roland Dane has full faith that he'll be up to the task
The top 10 Supercars drivers of 2020
In a year of few constants, the Australian Supercars championship could be relied upon for its usual blend of rough and tumble racing with a V8 soundtrack. But who were its top performers in 2020?