BRT opens up early lead in PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge
Supercars
18 Apr
Blanchard squad opens early lead in PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge
BRT, Brad Jones Racing, PremiAir Racing form top three
Tickford, DJR bring up the rear after tough Taupō Saturday
Blanchard Racing Team has opened up an early lead in the PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge after the ITM Taupō Super 440.
BRT was second behind four-time champions Brad Jones Racing heading to Taupō, where the first two races were be scored in the challenge.
Introduced in 2017 to recognise the efforts of the category's hard working pit crews, the PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge awards $20,000 and the coveted 'Golden Rattle Gun Trophy' to the winner.
In 2025, points are earned on a descending scale per race, with the quickest pit stop earning 13 points, second quickest earning 12 points and so on, with the slowest time earning 1 point.
If a driver or team incurs a penalty in completing the Compulsory Pit Stop(s), the car will be disqualified, resulting in no points for that race.
The pit stop time used in calculating points is the duration between crossing the pit entry line and pit exit line, as recorded by Supercars Timing. This pit stop time is final.
BRT didn't top either race in New Zealand, but recorded stop times in the top three to collect enough points to open up a six-point lead over BJR's crew on Andre Heimgartner and Bryce Fullwood's cars.
The BJR crew delivered under pressure as the Safety Car came out in Race 8, with the team clocking a stop some 1.4s quicker than its closest rival, PremiAir Racing.
PremiAir gapped the field in the second race, courtesy of a two-tyre stop for Richie Stanaway.
After Taupō, the Pit Stop Challenge will be contested at Symmons Plains, Perth, Darwin, Townsville and Ipswich, setting the semi-final field for the Live Finals.
At the completion of the Preliminary Races segment, the top three teams will win $5500, $3500 and $2000. The winner of the Live Final will be awarded $20,000 and the PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge Golden Rattle Gun.
2025 PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge results
Race 8, ITM Taupō Super 440
Rank | Team | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | BJR | Fullwood | 30.0 |
2 | PremiAir | Golding | 31.4 |
3 | BRT | Courtney | 32.1 |
3 | Grove | Payne | 35.3 |
5 | MSR | Percat | 36.8 |
6 | Tickford | Randle | 36.9 |
6 | Triple Eight | Brown | 38.4 |
8 | Team 18 | De Pasquale | 39.3 |
8 | Erebus | Murray | 40.4 |
10 | WAU | Wood | 45.0 |
11 | BJR | Evans | 46.1 |
12 | DJR | Kostecki | 48.0 |
Race 9, ITM Taupō Super 440
Rank | Team | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | PremiAir | Stanaway | 31.4 |
2 | Triple Eight | Brown | 34.5 |
=3 | BJR | Fullwood | 35.5 |
=3 | BRT | Cameron | 35.5 |
5 | WAU | Wood | 35.6 |
6 | Erebus | Le Brocq | 36.1 |
6 | MSR | Percat | 36.1 |
8 | Tickford | Waters | 36.3 |
8 | BJR | Evans | 36.3 |
10 | Team 18 | Reynolds | 36.8 |
11 | Grove | Allen | 37.3 |
12 | DJR | Kostecki | 37.6 |
2025 PIRTEK Pit Stop Challenge standings
After Round 3
Rank | Team | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BRT | Courtney | Cameron | 34 |
2 | BJR | Heimgartner | Heimgartner | 28 |
3 | PremiAir | Stanaway | Golding | 27 |
4 | MSR | Percat | Hill | 25 |
5 | Triple Eight | Brown | Feeney | 24 |
6 | WAU | Mostert | Wood | 23 |
7 | BJR | Jones | Evans | 22 |
8 | Grove | Payne | Allen | 22 |
9 | Team 18 | De Pasquale | Reynolds | 21 |
10 | Erebus | Le Brocq | Murray | 20 |
11 | Tickford | Waters | Randle | 17 |
12 | DJR | Kostecki | Davison | 10 |
