Supercars racers Shane van Gisbergen and Andre Heimgartner may return to Australia from New Zealand under updated travel rules between the two countries.
The New Zealand duo have temporarily entered their home country after competing in the Grand Prix in New Zealand recently, following a COVID-19 community case that caused Australia to stop travel bubbles. -Tasman.
But it was announced today that the green zone has been reset, opening the door for the two drivers to return to Australia early this week with no quarantine or isolation requirements.
The pair helped strengthen the NZGP grid in the race that became the Kiwi All Stars race, with European drivers unable to travel to NZ for the Toyota Racing Series season.
Van Gisbergen won the race in dramatic conditions, while Heimgartner was left with a broken hand after an accident early in the weekend.
The unexpected ban on the travel bubble, announced last Monday and extended on Thursday, left both drivers at risk of having to go through two weeks of mandatory hotel quarantine to get back to Australia ahead of Supercars season.
If that were the case then van Gisbergen would certainly have missed the Queensland Raceway pre-season test, scheduled for February 12, while Heimgartner would have been in serious danger of missing the Winton test on February 16.
However, they both had a window of opportunity to make the opening round – if the suspension was still in effect.
The 2021 Supercars Championship kicks off with the Mount Panorama 500 on February 26-28.