BRAD Vaughan’s win in the opening Dunlop Super2 Series race of the season in Sydney marked an ‘under the radar’ winning return for a reborn Commodore that featured in a mammoth 2022 Supercars accident.
The #80 Dare-backed ZB Commodore from Brad Jones Racing that Vaughan took to victory on Saturday is the rebuilt and refreshed chassis heavily damaged in the infamous start line accident involving BJR pilot André Heimgartner and Thomas Randle at The Bend Motorsport Park.
Randle’s Castrol Tickford Mustang stalled on the line and was ploughed into by the unsighted Kiwi’s #8 R&J Batteries Holden, heavily damaging both cars.
The BJR-built chassis was sidelined from that point on, though was progressively rebuilt by the Albury-based team.
Team boss Brad Jones recorded multiple YouTube videos with the repairs to the chassis – BJR 012 – in 2024, documenting how the damaged front section of the chassis was cut away forward of the mid roll hoop section and replaced by new metal and the rear soda-blasted and welded back into place.
The move to put Vaughan into this refreshed chassis for the Super2 season-opener was set in play by the accident Cody Gillis had at Turn 8 in Adelaide in last year’s Saturday race of the season’s final round.
Vaughan in action on Friday at SMP on the Gardner circuit. The series qualified and raced on the shorter Druitt Circuit on Saturday and Sunday. Photo: Ross Gibb.
“The intention always was to put this car (chassis 012) back together and make it complete again,” Jones told V8 Sleuth this week.
“Last year we had the chassis all complete but what tipped us into finishing it off was Cody’s accident in Adelaide last year.
“The damage to that chassis is repairable, but we had 012 just sitting here, so we built it back up again and the weekend was that car’s return to competition.
“We’ll eventually repair the other (ex-Gillis) chassis, it’s here waiting to be repaired but at the moment we’re flat-out making spares for the Supras.”
Jones says Vaughan was brought back this year to win the Super2 Series for BJR and has been thrilled with how the South Australian fits into the team.
“It’s pretty difficult to win in Super2 without a Tickford car, but he’s one of the only blokes that has managed to do it in recent times,” says Jones.
“He fits into our team well, he’s a great little peddler and we brought him back this year to win the championship and that’s what we hope to do.”
Vaughan finished fifth in last year’s Dunlop Series and sits at the top of the 2026 table after the opening round, equal on points with Blanchard Racing Team Mustang pilot Lochie Dalton.
The Dunlop Series has a long break now until round two at a new venue for the Super2 runners, Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin, on June 19-21.
WATCH VIDEO: Brad Jones updates fans on the repairs to BJR 012 in November 2024