AFTER a seven-year partnership, veteran driver Jason Bright will not be behind the wheel for Brad Jones Racing in 2017.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Rising star and 2011 Bathurst 1000 winner Nick Percat will take Bright's place in the Team BOC Commodore next season.
Team boss Brad Jones paid tribute to Bright's efforts with the Border crew, including the team's first Supercars win in Perth in 2011, as well as winning the inaugural Jason Richards trophy in 2013.
“It’s been fantastic having Jason here over the years, he has been an instrumental part in making our team what it is today,” he said.
“He has been in Supercars for almost 20 years, and seven of those have been with us.
If you look at our team history with unlocking driver talent, I think Nick will be yet another driver we can get to the front.
- Brad Jones
“We’ve achieved a lot together, so there are many fond memories.”
Once the curtain falls on the Homebush season finale, Bright will have completed 98 rounds with the Brad Jones Racing team, the most he has ever completed with one single team.
“The team Brad and Kim (Jones) have put together in Albury have been a pleasure to work with,” Bright said.
“The majority of the guys here now were here in my first year in 2010 which says a lot about the culture that BJR has.
“I never thought I would drive for a team for seven years straight, but BJR has made my time here a very satisfying chapter in my career.”
In signing Percat, Jones believes the team could be working with one of the next superstars of the series.
“I’m really eager to see how Nick goes next year,” he said.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on him over the years, there is no doubt that he has talent behind the wheel.
“If you look at our team history with unlocking driver talent, I think Nick will be yet another driver we can get to the front.”
Percat made his full time debut in the series in 2014 with Walkinshaw Racing/James Rosenberg Racing, before moving to Lucas Dumbrell Racing for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
In his short career he has already added some prestigious race wins to his name, including the Bathurst 1000 in 2011, and the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide earlier this year.
He was on Bathurst podium again this year, totalling three Bathurst podium appearances in six attempts at the Mountain.
Percat will also rejoin two former teammates in Tim Slade and Tim Blanchard when he arrives at BJR.
The penultimate round of the series starts in Auckland on November 4.
