'Moving problems around': BJR navigating Toyota learning curve

Brad Jones Racing were able to salvage something from what was an otherwise disastrous ITM New Zealand Double Header, but there is still plenty of head scratching to be done in Albury.

In a Christchurch weekend where Ryan Wood continued his superb form, and Chaz Mostert made a performance breakthrough in the factory Walkinshaw TWG Supras, BJR struggled with all three cars.

Andre Heimgartner, Cameron Hill, and Macauley Jones were all behind the eight ball from the moment cars rolled out on track at Ruapuna, none more so than Hill, who missed effectively all of practice with an engine loom drama.

That would flow on into the race, when Hill and Jones would both collide off the start, putting the Canberran out of the race. The one-time race winner would describe his Friday as "close to my worst day at the race track ever."

It wouldn't get much better for Hill on Saturday, as he wound up with busted steering after being on the wrong end of some midfield mayhem, which he didn't shy away from calling out once he got back to the garage.

Heimgartner, would deliver green shoots, qualifying ninth for Race 11 on Saturday, and snaring eighth in Race 13 after the wild conclusion to the finale.

“Another difficult day and then not a bad result. Got a top 10 from it but overall, sort of still finding our feet," said Heimgartner after the finale.

"We haven't quite hit our happy spot with the car, and we’re sort of moving problems around a bit.

"Looking forward to resetting, having a bit of a break and then getting into Tasmania where we can hopefully find our mojo again.”

BJR's struggles were highlighted by Heimgartner only managing 12th in the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy standings, Hill 17th, and Jones 21st.

Meanwhile, Wood surged into title calculations, and has claimed all bar one of Toyota's six podiums to date, as well as both of their pole positions and their sole race win, which came in the Taupō finale.

Wood is the only Toyota inside the top 10 in the championship standings after Christchurch in sixth, whilst Mostert finds himself 23 points outside in 11th, though would also be in the 10 had it not been for his Race 13 penalty.

Meanwhile, Heimgartner (-162), Hill (-211), and Jones (-211) are facing a tall order just to get themselves back in the hunt, despite there being seven events and 17 races before the full Finals field is set.

One former champion even went so far as to heap the pressure on BJR to step up and get closer to the level of WTWGR, with the current gap of 428 points in the teams' championship making for stark reading.

“[Wood] is leading that Toyota fight on his own,” Winterbottom said on The Run Home podcast.

“I don't want to say that the other guys are doing a bad job, but far out, he is leading that program and delivering.

“The car’s only going to get better. The Toyota is far from its top maximum capability… without him, Toyota is struggling."

BJR next head to a happy hunting ground in Tasmania from May 22-24, where former driver Bryce Fullwood scored a podium last year.