Teams tap in to tech amid road travails

INDUSTRIES have had to adapt to the POST-COVID landscape but none more than the Supercars.

With limited personnel on the ground, and teams on the road for extended periods, it has forced a shift in operations.

Teams have embraced the digital side of racing with engineers dialling in from the other side of the country.

It has been a key to the success of Brad Jones Racing, which has four drivers on the track in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.

With its garage crews more than halved, the team has had engineers video-calling into race-day operations from their home bases in Albury on the Nsw-victoria border.

BJR driver Todd Hazelwood said it was a challenge, but one the team had embraced.

“One of the big challenges for us has been racing (while travelling) on the road,” he said.

“We have had some of the engineers working in the workshop on race weekends via satellite.

“But the way we are working as a whole has been great, the whole team has embraced it and being on the road gets you together and to work as one.

“For me to be part of the team at BJR for my first season has been really cool to see how it all works together as one big family.”

Hazelwood is in his first full season of Supercars after graduating from the Super2 Series and sits 17th on the championship standings.

He will be flanked in the BJR garage by teammates Nick Percat (5th), Jack Smith (19th) and Macauley Jones (20th).