What triggered Le Brocq DNF in AGP finale

Jack Le Brocq suffered first DNF of 2024 season
Le Brocq collided with Thomas Randle early in Sunday's race
Todd Hazelwood defied damage to race from 19th to 15th

A first-lap hit was behind Jack Le Brocq’s Race 6 retirement, with reigning champions Erebus Motorsport suffering its first race retirement of the season.

The team’s run to 2023 glory featured just two DNFs across both cars, both to current Triple Eight recruit and current points leader Will Brown in Tailem Bend and Adelaide.

Le Brocq entered Sunday at the Grand Prix in mathematical contention to win the Larry Perkins Trophy, and was an impressive eighth in the championship.

To Sunday’s race, Le Brocq had finished 13th, eighth, 10th, eighth and fifth in five starts, and was 211 points behind Brown, who had five straight podiums to his name.

Le Brocq had made a spirited start to Sunday’s finale, moving from 10th to ninth, and was trailed by Tickford Racing driver Thomas Randle.

Randle made an ill-fated overtake attempt at the penultimate corner at the end of the first lap, with Le Brocq’s #9 TFH Hire Chevrolet sustaining instant steering rack damage. Le Brocq identified the damage immediately and vaulted into pit lane, where Erebus opted to retire the car.

Teammate Todd Hazelwood was also knocked around in the race and sustained significant rear damage (pictured below), but managed to move forward from 19th to 15th.

"Had a really good start. We were holding position, just trying to stay out of the carnage there," Le Brocq said in a team video.

"It was pretty full on, a lot of cars going left, right and centre. Unfortunately, got hit by the car that's hit every other car on track this weekend. So, it's a, it's a bit of a shame.

"Blew the steering rack up and that was our race, unfortunately."

The DNF dropped Le Brocq from eighth to 12th in the championship standings, with Hazelwood remaining ninth ahead of the next round in New Zealand.

Under the new live pit lane rules, Erebus will be fifth in the pit lane order at Taupō, and is 535 points behind Red Bull Ampol Racing.