Emotional Erebus staying focused after historical 1-2

Kostecki reveals the exclusive details of his own journey to the top of Supercars in AUTO ACTION's latest issue

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 30 April 2023

Erebus Motorsport’s stunning start to the Gen3 Supercars era has continued after Will Brown led Brodie Kostecki home to the team’s maiden 1-2 finish.

Ten years on from taking over Stone Brothers Racing and bringing Mercedes to the sport, Erebus has experienced many ups and downs, but are now the form squad on the grid.

Brown’s dominant win helped him jump into the top four in the championship standings, which is led by Kostecki, who now enjoys an 88-point lead over Chaz Mostert.

To give Barry Ryan an even bigger reason to smile, Erebus leads the teams’ table by 153 points over Triple Eight.

Brown’s Sunday masterclass gave the Coke Camaros their third win of the year and the team’s 11th overall, but first with a 1-2 formation finish.

The man steering the ship, Ryan, cut an emotional figure on the pits after watching his two cars dominate the second 42-lap race of the weekend.

“It is bloody awesome and hard to explain. The team has just done an awesome job,” Ryan reacted on TV.

“Will had a down day yesterday and qualified 22nd, but to bounce back to get pole and dominate like that is brilliant.

“Brodie is just happy for Will which is the best part about our team.”

Brown understood Ryan’s and the entire team’s emotions after the success, with himself and Kostecki coming on board during a major reset in 2021.

Erebus lost its drivers David Reynolds and Anton De Pasquale, plus its major sponsor after two winless years and brought in rookies Brown and Kostecki.

The pair impressed immediately and have helped the team on a three-year journey to unmatched success.

Brown said the current success is a testament to Erebus’ hard-working attitude.

“This is pretty surreal,” Brown said on Fox Sports.

“I think he (Barry) is just really excited. He obviously took us on two years ago as rookies.

“So to see us come through and get a 1-2, plus to see the whole team doing so well is brilliant.

“They all just want to win so much and have put in so many hours, and for us it is awesome to repay them.”

Brown could not wipe the smile off his face having returned to victory lane for the first time since his maiden success at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2021.

Car #9 had chances of glory at the Melbourne SuperSprint, but bad luck and a mistake meant victory slipped away.

Brown also bounced back from a tough Saturday where he qualified 22nd and finished 16th as Kostecki took pole and fought for the win.

However, Brown was an untouchable figure in Sunday’s opening 42-lap race and he said keeping the tyres intact was one of the keys.

“I just had a bloody fast car,” he said.

“I was worried I was pushing too hard and not conserving the tyres, but we had awesome car pace.

“I was trying to keep it straight coming out of the “Bowl” and manage the rear left and not overexcite it too much, which really helped me towards the end.”

Having shown pace at all three tracks so far, the prospect of both Brown and Kostecki fighting for wins is highly likely going forward.

But Brown does not see he and Kostecki’s inter-team rivalry getting messy, with the respect and friendship clear for all to see in and out of the car.

“I guess we just have to race hard and try not to run into each other, but we have a lot of respect for each other and the team,” he said.

“If we are racing 1-2, we will work it out between us to make sure the team gets the best result they deserve.”

Both Coke Camaros will start the third and final race at Perth at the pointy end with Kostecki and Brown starting from second and third respectively.

Download the full Supercars Perth Round 3 Event Guide with track stats and facts and a full event schedule, plus our extensive driver profiles here

Perth SuperSprint schedule (AEST)

Sunday

1745-1845 – Race 3 (42 laps)

For more of the latest motorsport news, pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.

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