Jason Bright: “It was a tough year”

In the first of our V8 interviews, Jason ‘Brighty’ Bright talks exclusively to Ed Peters about his past, present and future.
Jason Bright first raced in the V8 Supercars during 1997. A one-off drive in a Valvoline Commodore at Symmons Plains. The following year he joined Stone Brothers Racing where he won at Bathurst. After spending some time racing in America, Jason returned to Australia and joined the Holden Racing Team.

More recently Jason set up his own team, Birtek Motorsport in 2005 while he was still racing for Ford Performance Racing. He finally joined the driver line-up for the 2007 season.

After a recent announcement that Jason is to move his race team under the guidance of Stone Brothers Racing from 2009, TouringCarTimes caught-up with him just before the final round of the 2008 championship at Oran Park.

Speaking from Australia Jason was first asked:

You have recently announced a move to Stone Brothers Racing for next season. What was the main reason for the move?

“The move will improve my chances of winning the championship and the time was right to team up with Stone Brothers Racing, as they are on the same path as myself. I worked with the team early on in my career, and with the current climate being as it is, the move will benefit both. The move next year is a good one as we can do all our work in house. Already we can do the spray painting, the engines, all of the design, it’s a good move to go with SBR and things should be a lot better.

“The manufactures have pulled back a bit in our championship and that hit a few teams including ours. It is good to team up and advertise our costs over three or four cars.

“We’re a young team, playing catch up, so this is a way of shortening that process, in one big jump. We were a bit concerned about the Ford funding, as without the right funding it’s very hard to do it. So it should work out a lot better for both of us, I’m excited about the partnership with the team, and working our way back to the front.”

The use of a SBR engine at Symmons Plains made an immediate impact in the performance of your Falcon, were you surprised at the difference it made or was there more to it?

“No, I was probably less happy with the chassis there than in other rounds, but the SBR engine carried me through a little bit.

“It was very close, (at Symmons Plains) the whole field of about 26 cars was covered by 0.7 of a second. It is very close now and that means you‘ve got to have everything, including the money. It doesn’t take much to be off, you could easily get back a few positions, so it just shows how competitive it is. It’s a fast track with a few slow corners, and a couple of drag strips. Braking and horse power are very important.”

Can we assume that Jason Bright will be in a new FG Falcon for 2009?

“Yes I will, but the FG will probably be used for the round at Hamilton, the third race of the year. I think the Stone Brother Racing first car will be ready in late January.”

How do you fell your 2008 season went?

“It was a tough year, as was the year before. We had a few incidents, including tyre blowouts and the team didn’t really have a development budget until Phillip Island, which was when we got a new engine that we also ran at Bathurst and were able to step up a few places. We’d given it our best shot, and pretty much hope to be able to do more development, it was one of the reasons why I teamed up with Stone Brothers Racing.”

It was 10 years ago this year that you won Bathurst alongside Steven Richards. How do you rate that win and how desperate are you to repeat it?

“That was an amazing weekend. That was certainly the biggest win of my career, and possibly still is. It came very early in my V8 Supercar career. I was lucky to get that one away pretty early.

“The second win is a hell of a lot harder to get. It’s much, much harder. It’s slipped thought my fingers a few times, you have to make all the right calls. Everything has to go right for you, even though I had a very quick car on several occasions it still managed to elude me.

“I want to get to the top spot at Bathurst again, I had hoped I’d get a podium place, but it just didn’t work out. When I did win all those years ago, it was the biggest moment of my career.”

Unlike most V8 drivers, you went to America to compete in open wheel racing. How did you find the experience?

“It was something I was keen to do, and I spent two years there doing it, as I wanted to give every type of racing a shot. The time I had in America, I was still young. It was great.

“I still have a lot on my ‘to do’ list, such as Le Mans and some more sports car racing. Champ Cars was very strong at the time and if you did well, there was an opportunity to get into Formula 1.

“The experience I got over there in 2000, was irreplaceable it was a great to make get as much racing experience as possible.”

Have you ever considered joining Marcos Ambrose in NASCAR?

“It’s crossed my mind it’s a great series, but doing oval every week every year, is a different kettle of fish.”

Of all the tracks you have raced on, there must be a favourite?

“Bathurst must be up there as one of the best tracks! It has got pretty much everything you want as far as a racing driver goes. I’m always amazed with it, it is pretty challenging.

“Moss Port is a pretty amazing track as well, I drove that in Formula Ford 2000.”

Knowing what you know now. If you were starting out again as a 15 year-old kart racer. Would you change what you have done?

“There is not a lot I would have done differently. I wouldn’t really change too much, with hindsight, perhaps you’d change a few decisions, but I’m happy with the path my career has taken. “No, on the whole I’d not change much.”

If you weren’t racing cars for a living, what would you be doing?

“If I’d not been a racing driver in motorsport, I would still be around the sport. I’m a qualified machine fitter and turner, so if I couldn’t have been a driver, I’d be working on the cars. A machinist or even a photographer in the sport.”

“My other ideal job would have been a fighter pilot, I would love to have a go at that!”

Since speaking to Jason, he has recorded his best result of the season at the final round of the 2008 championship at Oran Park with a seventh place.

The signs are looking promising for Birtek Motorsport and Jason Bright for 2009.

Good luck from all at TouringCarTimes.