BROMANCE BLOOMS IN SUPERCARS

When Toyota was making the final choice for its second Supra squad for 2026 it came down to one thing – the team leader.

Brad Jones got the nod and now he and Toyota's vice-president of marketing, Sean Hanley, cannot say enough good things.

"I just like him," Hanley told Race.news.

"When I met Brad Jones in my office, I was really comfortable that he was the one that we wanted.

“I was really impressed with him. I’d heard through another source some really good things in relation to his people management.

"The reality is that this is far bigger than a commercial only contract. This is as much about the values and the ability to confidently collaborate with each other.”

On the BJR side, the retired racer is also enthusiastic about the relationship with Hanley and Toyota Australia.

“I am very excited for what the future holds and to work closely with Toyota. Through this whole process Toyota have been incredible to work with, every step of the way I've been so impressed with their team and their approach to Supercars," Jones said.

“This type of upheaval is not a light decision to make and I've taken my time in doing so, but I've been reassured time and time again that this is the right direction for BJR."

For Hanley, the move to Supercars with the Supra coupe – even though there will be some sort of 'pause' in production when the current car leaves showrooms later this year – is progressing as planned.

“We’ve looked for, first of all, a private owner. Then longevity and experience in the sport. Tenacity and determination to win," he says.

"It would make a bigger statement about our capability."

Even though Charlie Schwerkolt and his Team 18 squad were the early favourites for a Supra deal, before Peter Xiberras withdrew PremiAir racing from consideration, Hanley is confident he has the right result.

"It would make a bigger statement abut our capability. Now it’s out in the opne we can go full-speed ahead on development."

Hanley also confirmed that Walkinshaw Andretti United also provide a sign-off on the BJR deal, as part of a typically collaborative approach by Toyota.

"We met with WAU on a Friday afternoon, for a few hours, and we explained to them our thoughts. Nothing could happen without their endorsement.

“That was our rules. They never asked for it.”

The early build for the Supra racer is well underway and Hanley expects the car to fire up next month.

"We needed to make sure both of those teams came together. We didn’t want to do it under the covers.

"We wanted to make it quick because we needed to have an open book on the development phase.

“We expect to have two cars at least at this point, in the early part of the second half. They will go through rigours testing with WAU, working with Brad Jones' team."

But there was one expected bonus from the BJR deal, which was only revealed to Hanley once the second team was chosen.

“At that point I had no idea that he ran four cars. So it was explained to me afterwards," Hanley said.