Will Brown recently sat down for an interview with Riana Crehan, discussing the current state of the Supercars championship and his upcoming challenges.
Supercars Championship Overview
This year, Supercars has restructured its calendar into three segments, culminating in the Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup winners being determined before a three-round Finals Series decides the overall champion. The upcoming Ipswich Super440 marks the final round of the Sprint Cup, where Feeney holds a commanding 220-point lead over his Triple Eight teammate, Brown. With only 315 points available across the three races, Brown acknowledges that his chances hinge solely on mathematical possibilities.
“I think Broc has got that one wrapped up,” Brown remarked to Speedcafe regarding the Sprint Cup, which offers a Brabham-themed trophy and 25 bonus points for the Finals Series. “He’s done a fantastic job all year, and for me, it’s just about having a great weekend this weekend and trying to win some races to build momentum going into the Endurance Cup.”
Brown’s Recent Performance
Feeney has surged toward what seems to be certain success in the Sprint Cup, achieving victories in seven of the last eight races. In contrast, Brown has not won since Albert Park in March and has faced inconsistent performance in recent events, particularly during qualifying. His struggles were evident when he missed the top 10 in all three qualifying sessions at Hidden Valley in June, prompting significant modifications to his car ahead of the Townsville event.
“We did a few changes to my chassis, front clip, roll bars, a fair bit of stuff to the car, and I was super happy with it at Townsville,” Brown explained. “I felt like I was struggling with it a lot at Perth and Darwin, and I felt like I was doing quite a good job in the car. At Townsville, I actually let the car down in qualifying; I made a few mistakes. I could have qualified right up there with Broc, and I didn’t, and that was on me. But in the races, I showed I could get back up there.”
Focus on Qualifying
Brown emphasized the need for improvement in qualifying as he prepares for the upcoming weekend. “I think I just need to do a better job in qualifying this weekend. We’re capable of winning races; I think we’re back to our old self with great tire life and the ability to pass cars.”
Team Dynamics
Triple Eight is running three cars this weekend, including the Supercheap Auto wildcard for rookie Zach Bates. Although teams are no longer allowed to conduct private test days with their full-time entries, Triple Eight took advantage of a wildcard test for Bates last week. Both Feeney and Brown participated, with Feeney completing the maximum permitted 10 laps in the Camaro while Brown tested the team’s Super2 Holdens.
The involvement of Triple Eight’s Red Bull Ampol Racing team to oversee the test raised some eyebrows among competitors but remained within the regulations. Brown downplayed the potential advantages of the test, stating, “Broc got to do 10 laps in the wildcard car to help Zach. Broc can say if he thinks the car needs a change or whatnot, but I’m not sure exactly if it’ll benefit us.”
Competitive Landscape
“It’s really weird. It’s our test track for Triple Eight, and hopefully that’s an advantage, but you never know,” Brown continued. He reflected on past experiences, recalling how teams from Queensland would often outperform them despite having a home advantage. “I’m not getting complacent; we’re putting our best foot forward. We’ve got a lot of changes we can make if we’re not in the window. I think our cars are really good around here, and I think we should roll out and be super competitive and fast. But it’s so competitive right now; you don’t really know.”
Supercars has replaced private testing this year with a pre-season test at Sydney Motorsport Park in February and a pre-endurance test scheduled for Queensland Raceway on Tuesday.