The #8 R&J Batteries Chevrolet Camaro driven by Andre Heimgartner defeated the sister #96 Pizza Hut-backed car of Macauley Jones.
The first semi was won by Nick Percat in the #10 MSR Camaro, defeating James Courtney in the #3 Blanchard Racing Team Ford Mustang in the second semi.
Percat fell short in the grand final after a slow tyre change on the left front of the car. So slow was the tyre change that Heimgartner crossed the line before Percat had been dropped.
With the win, BJR pocketed $20,000 to take their total winnings to $120,000 thanks to six wins.
“It was awesome,” said Heimgartner.
“I didn’t do anything, it’s a credit to all these guys. What they’ve done is incredible. The consistency is amazing.”
BJR has long been lauded for its fast pit stops, thanks in part to a dedicated pit stop mule often used at its Albury base, as Heimgartner noted.
“Just work, really. There’s no shortcut to it,” said the New Zealander.
“The amount of time they do it on our beat up pit stop car. It’s an old AU (Ford Falcon) and we’ve changed over the years, all sorts of different cars and body work and it looks rough but it obviously gets the job done.”
Team boss Brad Jones hailed his team’s efforts.
“These guys work so hard at doing this, it’s just the reward for a job well done,” said Jones.
“It’s a great start to the weekend and they smashed it. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Jones said that the team prides itself on being able to make up ground in-race.
“I think it’s getting harder and harder to do that, but we certainly are at a point where when we follow someone in there’s a very good chance we’re going to beat them out,” Jones explained.
“It comes down to the guys, hard work, their perseverance, all the stuff they do to get the job done.
“As you can see from this, they’re united. Everyone is down here and everyone is slapping everyone on the back – very proud, as they should be.”
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