Inside CoolDrive Racing's F1-inspired workshop

The new Blanchard Racing Team operation has provided insight into its new Formula 1-inspired workshop.

Tim Blanchard’s standalone operation is based in the CoolDrive Auto Parts headquarters in Box Hill.

The new team has already made waves in 2021, with recruit Tim Slade falling short of a fairytale Repco Mt Panorama 500 following a shocking Race 1 accident.

The crash saw the Slade entry ruled out for the weekend, with the two-time race winner put into a spare chassis for the last-start Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint.

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In his first year running a fully-fledged team, Blanchard has made a habit of upping the ante with resource and manpower, recruiting a number key staff beyond Slade’s acquisition.

One such acquisition was Brendan Hogan, who shifted from Tickford Racing to manage BRT.

Hogan explained the compact style behind the workshop, which was designed to allow for easy access for staff to work on the race car.

“Starting from a blank sheet of paper, we had the opportunity to do anything we wanted,” Hogan explained.

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“We started with the car base being the heart of the workshop, and anything from here is within close walking distance.

“We took inspiration from F1 and World Rally [Championship] teams, and this is the layout we decided on.”

BRT has also set up its own in-house fabrication shop and sub-assembly base, as well as an in-house signage and sticker room.

Slade heads to this weekend’s Beaurepaires Tasmania SuperSprint 23rd in the standings, having scored one top 10 across the three Sandown races.