André Heimgartner has announced a surprise split with Kelly Grove Racing, just four months after recording his maiden Supercars race win.
The 26-year-old has been with the team since 2018, finishing on the podium five times, including his breakthrough victory at The Bend in May.
“This hasn’t been an easy decision for either party but it became apparent over our discussions that it would be best for André and his career to start a new chapter and challenge,” said co-owner Stephen Grove.
“When the time comes, he will leave us with my blessing and huge goodwill from every single member of the team.
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“We’re proud of everything André has achieved with Kelly Grove Racing, but for now, we continue to focus on the rest of the 2021 Championship and finishing as strong as possible.”
Speculation now turns to who will replace Heimgartner in the seat alongside David Reynolds for 2022.
For his part, Heimgartner will be on the grid in 2022, with his manager, John Ruggiero, confirming a “multi-year” deal is in the works.
“Andre had several approaches. I think his place in the sport is well entrenched now: race winner, podiums, pole positions, and not even in his peak yet,” Ruggiero told Speedcafe.com.
“So he’s a valued asset now as a driver in the sport and we fielded lots of interest… so we considered our options and decided for longer term security that we’d take an alternative offer.
“Ultimately he’s received an offer that was really attractive essentially, and decided to take that direction.”
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