Gloves off as teammates duke out Supercars title
Temperatures and team rivalries will heat up as Will Brown looks to fend off teammate Broc Feeney for the Supercars title at the Adelaide 500 series decider.
Team solidarity will go out the window on the streets of Adelaide as Will Brown and Triple Eight stablemate Broc Feeney go head-to-head for the Supercars title.
After a near-flawless season following his move from Erebus, Brown is in the box seat to seal a maiden championship win.
With a 180-point gap over Feeney – the only driver who can mathematically leapfrog him at the top of the standings – Brown (2772 points) can seal the trophy with a podium in the opening race of the Adelaide 500 on Saturday, regardless of how his teammate fares.
Given the 26-year-old has managed a top-three finish in every round so far in 2024, it’s a more than likely prospect.
But Feeney won’t be going easy on his teammate, even though Triple Eight have already sealed the individual and team trophies.
The 22-year-old has outperformed Brown in the race-win standings (5-4) as well as the pole count (4-2), and dominates on the Adelaide street circuit, with a win and a runners-up in four starts.
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“It’s been high pressure this year to be honest in the team, just because we’ve been so close together,” Brown said on Thursday.
“At the start of the year, we were both qualifying one-two and had to race.
“It’s been fun but the gloves will come off a little bit this weekend I’m sure.”
At the same venue a year earlier, Brown inadvertently helped his then-Erebus teammate Brodie Kostecki seal that year’s title.
With Shane van Gisbergen – Brown’s predecessor at Triple Eight – breathing down Kostecki’s neck in the standings, Brown crashed into the New Zealander on Saturday lap one, ending both drivers’ races and handing Kostecki the championship.
Whereas Brown has thrived since his move from Erebus, a much-publicised off-season dispute with the team’s owners has soured Kostecki’s championship defence.
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After sitting out the first six races of the season, the West Australian struggled to find form until an emotional win at the iconic Bathurst 1000 in October.
Another win last time out on the Gold Coast has Kostecki again one of the favourites for 2025 ahead of his move to Dick Johnson Racing.
Kostecki spent a large portion of Thursday’s practice in the pits following a collision with the turn-one tyre bundle, but still managed the seventh-fastest time in a punishing opening session.
Blanchard Racing veteran James Courtney was the only driver to escape a run-in with the obstacle, claiming the day’s fastest lap time of 1:19.684.
Nick Percat was third-fastest despite losing his radiator grill in heavy contact with the bundle.
His Camaro was at least in better shape than Anton De Pasquale’s Ford Mustang, which suffered severe damage to its front left corner.
Brown was sixth-fastest at four-hundredths of a second off the pace, while Feeney claimed the 13th-best time.
With temperatures forecast to soar into the high 30s on Saturday, drivers will be hoping their machines, and cooling systems, are up to spec.
On Sunday, Supercars legend Mark Winterbottom will roll out for a record 606th consecutive start.
The 43-year-old has been a fixture of the circuit since his debut in 2003, claiming 41 race wins and a championship title along the way, but will retire from full-time racing after the weekend.
“You’re in two minds,” said Winterbottom.
“One, emotional and wanting to enjoy the weekend. And two, wanting to go out and try to win the race.
“One thing I’ve done really well over my career is control my emotions really well, so trying to do that, but it’s definitely the hardest one.”
