BJR to add fourth entry for wildcards

Brad Jones Racing is set to expand to four cars at select rounds of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship with Macauley Jones stepping up as a wildcard entry.

Macauley Jones, son of team owner Brad, will dovetail his third full-time Dunlop Super2 Series campaign with select wildcards and a Pirtek Enduro Cup drive.

Allowing Super2 competitors wildcard entries at up to two sprint events is designed to help bridge the gap between the classes for drivers hoping to graduate.

BJR joins Garry Rogers Motorsport (James Golding) and MW Motorsport (Jack Le Brocq) in confirming plans to utilise the new system.

Jones Snr is a member of the Supercars Board and Commission and has run cars in three tiers of Supercar racing.

With his Dunlop Series team fielding three cars, the former driver sees the move as an important one in developing the next crop of drivers.

“We’ll only have one driver who is eligible and that’s Macauley and it’s our intention to do some wildcard events for him,” Brad Jones told Supercars.com.

“It’s pretty exciting and the intensity difference from the enduros and sprint races is one of the reasons the Commission have been looking at this.

“I think it will give young drivers the opportunity to see just how hard the other drivers run at a sprint event which is hard.”

Macauley Jones qualifies for the wildcard after six starts in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship through two Pirtek Enduro Cup campaigns in car #21.

“The thing about the Dunlop Series is when you come into it, I think most people underestimate how difficult it is,” he added.

“Then you talk to anyone who leaves the Dunlop Series for the main game they can’t believe the jump you have to make again with the intensity everyone has.

“I think even if this helps a little, then it’s well done. We need to make it as seamless as we can for young guys to go from the Dunlop Series into the VASC.

“Hopefully this will be another piece of the puzzle that will make the jump so not so extreme.”