• Howick and Pakuranga Times

HOT WHEELS: Andre Heimgartner’s AV8 Motorsport Commodore VE II, which he’ll debut in the opening round of the inaugural V8SuperTourers series this weekend. Photo supplied / Geoff Ridder.

TEEN motor racing sensation Andre Heimgartner is in hot form heading into the debut round of the all-new V8SuperTourer series this weekend.

Heimgartner, of Dannemora, was the youngest driver to win the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship last season, and with a win in the final race of the series at Manfeild last weekend, made it back-to-back titles.

The 16-year-old, who goes to Saint Kentigern College, clocked up some impressive stats on the way to his 120-point victory, including 11 wins from 15 starts, 11 pole positions and 10 fastest laps.

The open-wheeler star now turns his attention to the opening round of the V8SuperTourers at Hampton Downs.

It will be a massive change, with his seven-litre, 600hp VE Commodore II having more than four times the cubic capacity of the 1.6l, 115hp Mygale he’s been racing.

“It’s going to be a big step-up for me for sure, but I can’t wait to drive a real V8 touring car with that much power,” says an excited Heimgartner.

With two national titles under his belt and the demise of the Porsche GT3 Cup, he was considering another single-seater challenge.

“However, this inevitably leads to racing in Europe or the United States which is beyond our financial reach.

“Together with my father Mark, we were looking for a very controlled class, where inside knowledge and engine-building secrets didn’t have any traction.

“We literally jumped for joy when we first heard about V8SuperTourers. It was exactly what the doctor ordered and we could get in on the ground floor.”

Heimgartner will drive alongside two-time NZV8 champion Andy Booth in the AV8 Motorsport team, which is more top shelf than ground floor.

Booth says he and AV8 team principal Wayne Anderson have talked for several years about wanting to run an up-and-coming driver in a development role.

“With Andre we believe we’ve found the right young driver. He clearly has considerable obvious talent and is driven to succeed.”

Heimgartner will be on the radar of every driver on the star-studded grid, after posting identical lap times to V8 supremo Greg Murphy during a test session last month.

“As a 16-year-old in such illustrious company my goal is clear. I must punch above my weight and dispel any doubts about my ability to race at this level,” he says.

As well as Murphy, the line-up for the seven-race series includes the likes of Craig Baird, Johnny McIntyre, St Kent’s old boy Shane Van Gisbergen and East Tamaki-based Paul Manuell.

“It’s probably the strongest-ever field I’ve been in competition with,” says Booth.

“Everyone’s got great credentials and there’s a significant percentage of the field who are full-time professional racers.

“With everyone in virtually identical cars, the racing is going to be incredibly tight.

“The difference between first and 16th is seriously going to be minimal.”

Green light for the historic moment in Kiwi motor sport is at 3pm on Saturday for a 20-lapper, with two longer races on Sunday. Television coverage is on TV3 on Sunday from 2pm.