Whincup’s theory on fuel issue
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 14 September 2025
Almost everything has gone right for Broc Feeney in 2025, but The Bend was a different story for him and Jamie Whincup.
Whincup led from pole for the first 14 laps, but that was about the only highlight as their AirTouch 500 at The Bend campaign unravelled as soon as they headed for the lane.
A fuel-hose issue saw their first stop on Lap 24 go for 20s longer than expected and forced them to return to the lane just 10 laps later to get the rest of the required litres in.
With no Safety Cars and the occasional off-track moment, there were very few chances to regain the time back as Feeney had to settle for 19th, his first result outside of the top 10 in 18 races.
Whincup was the unlucky driver sitting in the car during the slow stop and has a theory on what ruined their pursuit of a fifth straight 500 win.
“Unfortunately, we never really got to the second stint,” he said.
“We came in for fuel and we’re sitting there for fifty seconds with no fuel going in.
“We’ll have to analyse it when we get back, but we think there was fuel in the vent which was stopping the air from escaping so the fuel could go in and fill it up.
“It was like a hydraulic airlock creating compression in the tank so the fuel couldn’t come in. That was basically our day.
“The rest of the day we were just trying things, we were doing things with the set up just trying all different lines and all sorts of things just like a bit of a test session after that pit stop issue.
“We were always going to be running around at the back of the pack after something like that. “She was a long old day out there, unfortunately.”
While Feeney did not feel a win was possible, he believed a podium slipped away.
“It was just pretty much a day to forget,” he said.
“We held it up until just before that first stop then it’s all come undone pretty much.
“Fuel wasn’t going in to the car and we couldn’t do anything about it in the stop itself.
“That just set us back pretty much a minute in the first twenty five laps of the race and then from there to be fair it still wasn’t a great race for us.
“We were effectively last but by a big margin, then some mistakes came in over the day.
“The car wasn’t fantastic but I think we still definitely could have fought for the podium had other things not gotten us.
“Not sure if we could have fought for a win really, but we certainly would have been in the hunt.
“But when we don’t put fuel in the car it doesn’t help. That’s a big one, means we’re essentially coming in again to fuel up and get on with it.”
Practice 1: 1: A. Cameron/Z. Best 1:50.0617 2: T. Randle/Z. Best +0.0283 3: B. Kostecki/T. Hazelwood +0.3358
Practice 2: 1: Jamie Whincup 1:50.5875 2: Todd Hazelwood +0.2082 3: Dale Wood +0.3248
Practice 3: 1: Will Brown 1:48.9957 2: Broc Feeney +0.3210 3: Thomas Randle +0.3837
Practice 4: 1 James Moffat 1:50.7387 2 Lee Holdsworth +0.1864 3 Rylan Gray +0.2128
Practice 5: 1 Ryan Wood 1:49.2867 2 Brodie Kostecki +0.0272 3 Broc Feeney +0.0584
Qualifying: 1 Brodie Kostecki 1:49.3947 2 Broc Feeney +0.0081 3 Cameron Waters +0.0628
Top 10 Shootout: 1 Broc Feeney 1:48.6548 2 Cameron Hill +0.1023 3 Brodie Kostecki +0.1286
Warm Up: Sunday 9.30-9.50
Race 26: 1 Brodie Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood 3:15:50.1972 2 Cameron Waters/Mark Winterbottom +3.0181 3 Matt Payne/Garth Tander +7.6515
Read the new issue of Auto Action Digital HERE
Buy the new issue of Auto Action Premium HERE
Don’t forget the print edition of Auto Action available via subscription here or you can purchase a copy of the latest issue from one of our outlets here.
Recent Stories
array (
0 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 11,
'name' => 'Latest News',
'slug' => 'latest-news',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 11,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 0,
'count' => 16747,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 11,
'category_count' => 16747,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'Latest News',
'category_nicename' => 'latest-news',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
1 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 38,
'name' => 'Supercars',
'slug' => 'supercars',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 38,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => 'The Supercars Championship, currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship, is the premier motorsport category in Australasia and one of Australia\'s biggest sports. It originated from the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), which held its first race in 1960 at Gnoo-Blas in Orange, New South Wales. The ATCC evolved over the years, and in 1997, it was rebranded as the V8 Supercars Championship, eventually becoming the Supercars Championship we know today.
Some of the leading drivers in the history of the Supercars Championship include Peter Brock, who is often referred to as the "King of the Mountain" for his nine victories at the Bathurst 1000, a race that is considered one of the biggest in the series. Other notable drivers include Dick Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, who holds the record for the most championship titles, and Mark Skaife, who has also been a dominant force in the series.
The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, is arguably the most famous race in the Supercars calendar. Other significant races include the Sandown 500 and the Adelaide 500, which are known for their challenging circuits and thrilling competitions.
The Supercars Championship has grown to become a globally recognized series, known for its competitive racing and passionate fan base. It continues to be a major part of Australia\'s motorsport culture, attracting top drivers and teams from around the world.',
'parent' => 0,
'count' => 5608,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 38,
'category_count' => 5608,
'category_description' => 'The Supercars Championship, currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship, is the premier motorsport category in Australasia and one of Australia\'s biggest sports. It originated from the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), which held its first race in 1960 at Gnoo-Blas in Orange, New South Wales. The ATCC evolved over the years, and in 1997, it was rebranded as the V8 Supercars Championship, eventually becoming the Supercars Championship we know today.
Some of the leading drivers in the history of the Supercars Championship include Peter Brock, who is often referred to as the "King of the Mountain" for his nine victories at the Bathurst 1000, a race that is considered one of the biggest in the series. Other notable drivers include Dick Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, who holds the record for the most championship titles, and Mark Skaife, who has also been a dominant force in the series.
The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, is arguably the most famous race in the Supercars calendar. Other significant races include the Sandown 500 and the Adelaide 500, which are known for their challenging circuits and thrilling competitions.
The Supercars Championship has grown to become a globally recognized series, known for its competitive racing and passionate fan base. It continues to be a major part of Australia\'s motorsport culture, attracting top drivers and teams from around the world.',
'cat_name' => 'Supercars',
'category_nicename' => 'supercars',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
2 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 2029,
'name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
'slug' => 'email',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 2029,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 2031,
'count' => 7304,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 2029,
'category_count' => 7304,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
'category_nicename' => 'email',
'category_parent' => 2031,
)),
3 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 2031,
'name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
'slug' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 2031,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 0,
'count' => 6659,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 2031,
'category_count' => 6659,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
'category_nicename' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
)
