Highs and lows for BJR on Saturday at Melbourne SuperSprint
The Brad Jones Racing team has had a tough Saturday at the Melbourne Supersprint.
WIth the dual qualifying sessions early in the morning, the team unfortunately missed the window in qualifying for Race 6.
That then put drivers, Andre Heimgartner, Bryce Fullwood, Macauley Jones and Jaxon Evans deep in the pack for this afternoon’s race.
It was another chaotic affair that didn’t run to full distance, with only 15 of the 19 laps completed with two Safety Car periods.
Jones in the Pizza Hut Racing entry made his way through from 20th all the way up to 12th.
He was caught in a multi-car battle in the final few laps and was pushed wide on the last back to see the flag in 14th.
A similar experience for Heimgartner, who had planned to conserve tyres in the early stages of the race but was then caught in the intense to-and-fro in the latter stages.
The R&J Batteries Camaro finished in 17th.
The SCT Motorsport driver, Evans was also copped a bit of a bullying on track, he had momentum through the mid-stages but was pushed wide and steam-trained.
Evans saw the chequered flag in 19th.
Fullwood also saw a bit of action, just before the first Safety Car the #14 Shure Racing Camaro had a heavy hit.
The team took the chance under the Safety Car to call him to pitlane to fit two new front tyres, unfortunately the car didn’t feel right after the contact and it was difficult for Fullwood to move forward from there.
Fullwood finished 22nd, however he does have something to look forward to tomorrow when he starts Race 7 out of 8th.
The final Supercars race of the season kicks off at 10:25 AEDT.
SUPERCARS QUOTEBOARD
Andre Heimgartner
Supercars driver, #8 R&J Batteries Camaro
"Today was what it was. The race was pretty hectic, with battling and everything. So we just had to try and stay out of trouble and just try and finish the race, basically. Just trying to learn the car and different stuff what we're doing. Tomorrow is another chance."
Bryce Fullwood
Supercars driver, #14 Brad Jones Racing Camaro
"It was an up and down day. We unfortunately didn’t qualify too well for the race today. We had a big swing at the car and it didn't pay off. I got a bit hip and shouldered in the race, which seems to be how it is here this weekend, and found ourselves at the back and not able to do too much. Eyes are pulled to tomorrow where we are starting eighth and there’s going to be some rain, so we will shift focuses and look at that and hopefully we will be able to salvage something good out of that race."
Macauley Jones
Supercars driver, #96 Pizza Hut Racing Camaro
"I had an average start, but a decent first lap. I managed to miss all the carnage on the first lap along with all the Safety Cars that bunched the field up which was good. It is hard racing out there, but I feel like the car is at a solid point now which is nice. It is not nice enough on the tyres over the long run, but we are making improvements every time we go out there, which is the aim at the moment. It wasn’t the greatest of qualifying’s, so moving forward is the goal for us, which is something we accomplished today. Tomorrow with the weather, its looking like it is going to be a rainy day which will mix it up and potentially cause even more chaos, so we will see how that plays out."
Jaxon Evans
Supercars driver, #12 SCT Motorsport Camaro
"Not an ideal race. I got a good start, making a few positions and managed to stay out of the carnage on lap 1, which I was happy about. Once the race restarted, I felt like a sitting duck because the cars around me had more speed and I was struggling to maximise braking, so it left me vulnerable. We also lost a few positions because of poor car placement. We have more work we can do overnight, so hopefully we can finish the weekend on a high."