Well, it's been a seriously long break between rounds, but I think everyone's made the most of the time off in their own way.

Most of my BJR crew took a week off here and there to recuperate and used it to play catch up, visit family, and simply unwind from what's been a very busy season so far.

Personally, I've had a chance to pick up my "off-track" training, I spent some time overseas with my girlfriend and also had a few days in the upper north of Western Australia.  We had a ride day at Eastern Creek which split the break up nicely - it was a fun and stress free day in the car, always nice giving other people the opportunity to experience a race car first-hand.  The BJR team have had time to build up Brighty's new race car which he'll debut at Phillip Island, and there's been plenty of development work happening too.

We've just come back from completing a two day testing program at Winton Raceway - what a great way to kick-start the return from a big break!  We had so many items to go through in the lead-up to the endurance rounds at Phillip Island, Bathurst and Gold Coast; it was very beneficial and we achieved a lot from it;  some aerodynamic testing,  new theories, balance changes, geometry, pitstop/driver-change practice and even some simulation race starts.

My team-mate for Phillip Island and Bathurst, David Wall, was there to get some miles and participate in the testing schedule.  Between the two of us we racked up close to 800km over the two days!  Once he was used to the unique characteristics of the V8 Supercar, his pace got quicker and quicker over the two days.  It'll be a strong combination for the upcoming races - I can't wait to hit turn one in the opening practice session next Friday! Our driver-changes are getting faster with more practice, it's been tough with David's height - he has to be about 6'3" I reckon!

All in all, I'm really looking forward to getting back in the "saddle" properly next weekend.  We have a few new faces in the team so it'll be a good chance to get to know them better.  I was quick at Phillip Island debut last year with Brighty, and hope to keep that up this time around.  With good qualifying races, some consistency and keeping out of trouble, we can achieve a good points haul next weekend.

Hope to see you all soon, thanks for your support!