Clockwise from the top left: Dale Wood, Dean Fiore, Jordan Boys and Jaxon Evans
Brad Jones Racing has announced its driver pairings for the 2023 Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 enduros, with an unchanged line-up from 2022.
With the Sandown 500 returning to the Supercars calendar for the first time since 2019, taking place on September 15-17, co-drivers will head to Mount Panorama this October with greater mileage under their belt.
Leading BJR’s quartet will be Andre Heimgartner, who will share the #8 R & J Batteries Chevrolet Camaro with Dale Wood for the second year running.
The pair was caught up in a dramatic incident that ended their 2022 Bathurst 1000 campaign after it had barely started, being taken out by Zane Goddard on Lap 5 of the 161-lap event with Wood at the wheel.
It will be Wood’s 16th Bathurst start and his sixth Great Race for BJR, with his best result at The Mountain a sixth-place driving with Nick Percat for BJR in 2021.
“Andre is in great form and am equally excited to jump in the R & J Batteries Gen3 Camaro,” Wood said.
“It is great Sandown is back on the enduro calendar and I think it gives us a great lead up to Bathurst.”
Bryce Fullwood will share his #14 Middy’s Electrical Camaro with Dean Fiore, the duo driving from 24th on last year’s Bathurst grid to ninth at the chequered flag.
“It’s my 15th time heading to the Bathurst 1000 and after last year with Bryce I’m hungrier than ever!” said Fiore.
“I was proud of what we were able to achieve and we’re much better placed this year, with Phil [Keed] and Bryce putting that final piece of the driver/engineer puzzle together.”
The #96 Pizza Hut Racing Camaro will see Macauley Jones joined by Jordan Boys, who finished 13th from 22nd in last year’s race. Boys has also won at Mount Panorama in the Dunlop Super2 Series.
Albury-based Boys drove for BJR with Todd Hazelwood at Bathurst 2020 and made his solo Supercars debut with Erebus Motorsport at The Bend in 2022.
The 25-year-old is currently seventh in the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship.
While his third Bathurst, this year will be his first Sandown 500.
“We want to build off what we did at Bathurst last year, which was a strong result and for us and pretty close to a top 10, which was sort of our goal going in,” Boys said.
“Sandown for me is a bit of a bucket list thing. It’s pretty cool to be a part of such a historic event.”
Two-time Porsche Carrera Cup Champion Jaxon Evans will co-drive the #4 SCT Logistics Camaro with Jack Smith.
It will be Evans’ second Bathurst start, after he and Smith made it to Lap 138 of last year’s Great Race before Smith hit the wall at McPhillamy Park, ending their run.
Wood, Fiore and Boys will partake in a test day at Winton Raceway, Victoria, on May 31, with Evans’ race commitments ruling him out of that test.
Brad Jones Racing has achieved three podium finishes at Mount Panorama since the year 2000, with a best result of second achieved in 2001 with Brad Jones and John Cleland, and again in 2009 with the Cameron McConville and the late Jason Richards.
Jones was again driving for the team’s third place in 2004 with John Bowe.
The Repco Bathurst 1000 takes place on October 5-8, 2023.
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