Brad Jones Racing's Early Christmas Present

BRAD Jones Racing is only days away from completing an early Christmas present for itself – its first brand new Car of the Future specification Commodore.

Team co-owner Brad Jones says the small team’s progress has stepped up since the finish of the V8 Supercars Championship earlier this month.

“We’ve been waiting for some components to turn up, but by and large we hope to have the car close to being finished by the end of this week,” says Jones.

“We’ll shake it down early in the New Year and then run our ACM (Accredited Chassis Manufacturer) test days and get ready for the test in February (at Sydney Motorsport Park), so it’s all going to the revised plan at the moment.

“We’re only a small team, so there are only a few people to do all the work.

“We’re pressing on though, and I’m happy with the way we’re going and the progress – I’m really hoping we’ll come out of the blocks with a competitive package when we get to Clipsal and it would be great to continue on with the form we started to show at the end of the year.”

The team will also benefit from consistency, with Jason Bright, Fabian Coulthard and David Wall returning next year to drive its three entries.

“I think having the same three drivers in the car and the same people engineering the cars will be a definite bonus for us,” says Jones.

“It’s good to have stability at any level and I’m not sure how much that will count for. I guess we’ll get to see that when we run the cars.”

An added benefit for Brad Jones Racing next year is their allocated position in pit-lane. The pit lane order released last week puts the team third from pit-exit alongside Stone Brothers Racing with the two teams to pit its respective third entries under the one pit boom.

“It’s going to be really good, it’s probably our highest position for a long while and it will be good not to get boxed in by cars having pit stops,” says Jones.

“It will be a bit of a new experience for us but something I’m looking forward to - being up towards the pointy end and seeing what goes on up there.“It will certainly help us with strategy and make a difference, so that’s all part of the legacy of being more and more competitive.”

For more on Brad Jones Racing teams:Lockwood Racing: www.lockwoodracing.com.auWilson Security Racing: www.wilsonsecurityracing.com.auTeam BOC: www.teamboc.com.au