Who is building Ford's best V8 Supercar engine?
14/8/2004 15:18 (Press Release) -
Is it Stone Brothers Racing, Dick Johnson Racing, Ford Performance Racing or maybe it’s even Brad Jones Racing ? On a quest to take their engine development program to the next level at the end of 2003, BJR looked worldwide for the right person to bring an even higher level of reliability and horsepower to the team that had consistently proved itself to be one of the top three Ford outfits.
The search ended in the United States, where former HRT engine builder, Rob Benson was invited back to Australia to bolster BJR’s 2004 V8 Supercar campaign.
“It was a coup. Most people thought that Robbie [Benson] would spend a lot longer in the US and when he agreed to join us, we knew he would give us the direction we needed,” said Team Principal, Brad Jones.
Last week and two thirds the way through the season, Rob Benson defected to Ford Performance Racing but his decision has been fully accepted by BJR.
“To be honest, Robbie’s work is done with BJR. We needed direction in some of our areas and he has provided us with that.”
“We always knew that Robbie’s time with us would be limited and we’re thankful that he has decided to leave us after his job was done. We’re actually quite flattered that the factory Ford team (FPR) looked to BJR’s engine shop as the one they wanted to emulate,” Jones added.
Producing engines that have seen BJR take the front row at Bathurst for the last two years has always been an in-house process and according to Brad Jones, that’s something that will continue – “Not only do we have a bunch of talented and capable people in our engine shop but over the years we have invested in some of the best equipment around.”
“We are in good shape now, partly due to Robbie [Benson], and we’re looking forward to continuing to build engines that the other [V8 Supercar] teams look up to”.
“We’ve always packed a bigger punch than most people have expected because we are real racers and the staff we employ share that same spirit. That’s why we are going to stay very competitive and be at the right end of the field,” Jones concluded.
Brad Jones and John Bowe continue with their 2004 V8 Supercar assault this weekend at Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway, with both OzEmail Falcon’s looking show the same promise from the last round at Winton.
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