BJR crew unrattled by double qualification in PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge final
BJR crew unrattled by double qualification in PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge final
Both of Brad Jones Racing’s pit stop crews have progressed to the final round of the PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge.
Finishing in the first and third spot after 17 sprint races this year, BJR are gunning to win the coveted Golden Rattle Gun for a fifth year running.
BJR have appeared in all seven of the Pit Stop Challenge finals, and while there’s been a change of regulation for 2023, the team has still been able to get two entrants into the decider.
The crew from garages 8/14 are currently sitting in top spot with some mightily speedy stops under their belt in the 2023 Supercars Championship season.
At Tailem Bend alone during Race 21 on Bryce Fullwood’s car they hit a 2.37s stop, backing that up with a 2.82s stop on Andre Heimgartner’s Camaro in the same race.
The effort on Fullwood’s car was the best ever in-race pit stop for that crew, an incredible target that the entire team is proud of.
Split by the Triple Eight Race Engineering team, the BJR squad in garage 96/4 are third and eager to take the fight down to the wire at the live final.
For both of the Compulsory Pit Stops in Race 22 the 96/4 team were below three seconds, Jack Smith’s service was a tidy 2.81s and Macauley Jones received his tyres in 2.93s.
The final, taking place at the Gold Coast 500, will see the four top teams from the preliminary races segment of the challenge go head-to-head in pitlane to determine the winner.
BJR has taken home the top gong for four years in a row and are keen to keep the trophy in Albury.
What our team has to say…
Brad Jones
Team Owner, Brad Jones Racing
“The pitstop competition is something that we as a group, really target, you know, it's just really based on skill and hard work. And we've been fortunate enough to win it a number of times and been in the final four every time. So it's something we really look forward to. And everyone in the team rises to try and to win this trophy and being more successful at this than anyone else is even more incentive to try and continue our run of success.
“We've had such a good run in the PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge that Supercars changed the rules last year so teams couldn't have the same crew in the final twice but here we stand with two crews in the final. It’s complimentary in a way that they feel the need to change the rules to offer more opportunity.”
Sam Cosgrove
Brad Jones Racing Chief Mechanic, Car Controller 96/4 crew
“I sort of have a bit of a proud dad moment watching the guys do the stop, I used to do it. Now I just stand in the front of the car and get to watch them do it. But it's pretty cool to train them up, see them put in all the hard yards. And hopefully we can bring this trophy home again.
“I think it pushes both crews to be the best they can be. They help each other out but they also want to beat each other, which is pretty cool. But the biggest thing is that they work together, support each other and want to beat the competition no matter what.
“We've got a pretty good culture here at BJR. Everyone knows that we're very good in the pitlane. And I think people come and they go from this team, and when we get new people come in, they inherit