Brad Jones Racing is nearing completion on repairs to its #8 ZB Commodore Supercar after Dale Wood was caught up in a major crash during the Repco Bathurst 1000.
Wood started the Great Race in Andre Heimgartner’s R&J Batteries-backed entry but was taken out when Zane Goddard sprayed off at The Chase and then re-entered in dangerous fashion on Lap 5.
The images obtained by Speedcafe.com show the extent of the work which has been undertaken at BJR’s Albury workshop since returning from Mount Panorama, just over a week ago.
It is a tight turnaround for the squad, considering practice for the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 kicks off on Friday week, and hence its four cars will need to be dispatched to the Sunshine State in coming days.
It is also BJR’s second major job following a crash for its #8 entry in recent months, after an unsighted Heimgartner shunted Thomas Randle when the Tickford Racing driver stalled on the front row at The Bend.
At Bathurst, Heimgartner, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, called for those “driving like absolute losers” to “get their shit together” after a chaotic opening to the race.
Team owner Brad Jones would describe the crash as “soul-destroying”, although there was some consolation in that Bryce Fullwood/Dean Fiore combined to finish ninth in the #14 Middy’s ZB Commodore.
At Tickford, the crash has forced the team to move James Courtney into the former Randle chassis which has now been repaired following the aforementioned incident at The Bend.
Grove Racing is repairing its #26 Mustang for David Reynolds to drive on the Gold Coast after his co-driver, Matt Campbell, was left with nowhere to go and shunted the #5 Mustang of which Goddard was behind the wheel.
Goddard was fined $10,000 for the dangerous re-join, and would express his apologies for the incident.
Heimgartner sits ninth in the Repco Supercars Championship, having arrived at Bathurst off the back of results of second, sixth, and third at Pukekohe.
Practice 1 on the streets of Surfers Paradise starts on Friday, October 28 at 12:35 local time/13:35 AEDT.
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