BJR reveals what caused #8 engine failure
Broken conrod behind engine failure that ruled Heimgartner/Wood out
Wood had already been escorted into Murray's Corner sandtrap
Heimgartner/Wood record second Bathurst DNF in a row
A broken conrod was behind the engine failure that ruled the Andre Heimgartner/Dale Wood lead Brad Jones Racing entry out of the Repco Bathurst 1000, the team has revealed.
The #8 R&J Batteries Camaro started 13th and first of the four BJR cars, but the day got off to a poor start after co-driver Dale Wood was escorted into the Murray’s Corner sand trap by Scott Pye.
On lap 69, with Wood behind the wheel, the #8 Chevrolet began bellowing smoke and flames, with the 2013 Dunlop Series champion returning the car to pit lane.
That’s where it remained, consigning Heimgartner to his fourth DNF in his last five Bathurst starts.
Reliability has been impressive with the new Gen3 cars, with the Heimgartner/Wood incident one of just two mechanical-related retirements in the Bathurst 1000, after Todd Hazelwood’s starter motor failure late in the day.
BJR posted a team video hosted by team owner Jones, who showed the damage left behind to the engine block by the conrod. While the root cause of the broken conrod has yet to be confirmed, the damaged engine will now go to KRE Racing Engines, which supplies the engines to Chevrolet teams, for repairs.
"Bad day for us, first stint was pretty good,” Heimgartner said.
"The car felt pretty speedy so a real shame that we couldn't make it happen. But yeah just one of those things. We have to look forward to the next round and hopefully we bounce back.
"Just unfortunately Bathurst has been a bit of a pain in the arse so hopefully next year is different.”
It was another cruel result for Heimgartner and Wood, given their 2022 race ended after just five laps following a lap 5 pile-up at The Chase.
BJR’s weekend was saved by a superb run from 21st to seventh for Bryce Fullwood and Dean Fiore, and a fifth consecutive PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge on Thursday.
It did little to ease the pain for veteran Wood, who now remains without a Bathurst podium in 16 starts.
“A little bit disappointed in the sort of clumsy contact I had with Scott Pye... I grabbed my steering wheel and ripped it out on the hands and sort of fired me off at the last turn,” Wood said.
“Then obviously, the engine letting go — it gave me a couple of sort of warnings for about a lap that something wasn't right and then and then the engine completely shit itself. So yeah, bloody disappointing."
The DNF dropped Heimgartner behind Chaz Mostert to sixth in the championship with two rounds remaining.
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