COTF UPDATE: Brad Jones Racing

BRAD JONES RacingTeam Manager Chris Clark has told V8Supercars.com.au that his team is ‘welladvanced’ on the build of their second and third Car of the Future (COTF)chassis.

BJR wasyesterday the last of the ‘accredited’ COTF chassis constructors to shake downtheir first 2013 entry, Fabian Coulthard completing a successful 60 kilometresof running in Jason Bright’s Team BOC entry at the brand new TAFE MotorsportTraining facility near Wodonga.  

However,Clark says BJR was well on the way to completing their full fleet of cars aheadof the full V8 Supercars official pre-season test at Sydney Motorsport Park, onFebruary 16.

“Our secondchassis has the loom in, the piping work and the air jacks all in,” Clark toldV8Supercars.com.au, following their shakedown yesterday.

“The fueltanks are actually going together as we speak. We’re working from build kitsand have the old production line happening - we’re taking limited amounts ofpeople away to tests and shakedowns, like this, so most of the guys can focuson building the cars.

“The thirdchassis is in the manufacturing area. It’s got a little bit of bar (roll cage)work to go on the front and then I expect it to be on the rotisserie within thenext day or so. Within the week it will be in the shop being pre-drilled forall the holes required, fittings and the like, ready for paint.

“When thepainter gets back from Holiday the car will be ready to go for him to paint.”

Other ‘accredited’constructors including Ford Performance Racing and Dick Johnson Racing (Ford),Stone Brothers Racing / Erebus Motorsport (Ford, now AMG / Mercedes Benz),TripleEight Race Engineering, Walkinshaw Racing, Garry Rogers Motorsport (Holden) andKelly Racing (Nissan), have either tested, or at the very least shaken down theirrespective cars.

Other teams –including Tekno Autosports and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport – will purchasecomplete cars from accredited builders - in both cases, Triple Eight. Tony D’AlbertoRacing has already shaken down their Walkinshaw Racing-built COTF at Wintonafter returning to the Holden ledger this year.

Clark saidthat while the team has had to pull long hours throughout the off season, ithasn’t affected the notably closely-knit Albury-based outfit.

“Everyone isvery motivated. The guys have been working late and no one has had any majorholidays but I’d say it’s been like that for all the teams.

“It’s a creditto the guys that work for us,” he added.

“They’ve donea fantastic job and we have a great calibre of people working here and a greatteam put together. We’re all pretty pumped for this year.”