Report card: Tim Blanchard

With a break between Winton and Darwin, supercars.com is analysing the drivers’ results and performances in this first part of the season. The racing is the closest in history, with nine different winners in 11 races.

Tim Blanchard, Team CoolDrive  Engineer: Wally Storey/Tony Woodward

Average qualifying position: 19.6Average finishing position: 20.3Championship position: 23Points to leader: 667Wins: 0Pole positions: 0

Best result: 11th, Sunday Clipsal 500Blanchard started 23rd and managed to make the chaotic race work for him, home just outside the top 10.

Low point: 24th, Saturday Race Two, Clipsal 500Blanchard blamed Holden Racing Team for releasing Garth Tander into traffic after the two collided off-track, but was shot down by the former champ. “We’re not too worried about where we release the car in relation to Tim Blanchard’s race – pretty much the rest of the field managed to get past,” Tander quipped.   

For: Blanchard’s qualifying is picking up. He out-qualified teammate Jason Bright in Sunday’s race at Winton and has started as high at 13th in Tasmania. He is still adjusting to the BJR car this season. 

Today's test day should be helpful, with Bright suggesting the team is well on the rise after Winton success. 

Against: Given Blanchard is a former Australian Formula Ford champion, there was an expectation he would step up this year in a well-structured team like Brad Jones Racing. 

However, he sits 23rd in the points after five events – two positions lower than he was at this time in 2015 with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport. 

The team: BJR has won races this season, but the success of the third car has always been debatable.

Preston Hire Racing – the team CoolDrive shares with in pit lane – is unhappy with its slow pitstops, which will also be affecting Blanchard. 

Rating: DAn expected step forward to BJR has so far been a step back.