10 moments that won Brown the 2024 championship
Will Brown now sits among the best to do it in Australia, with the Triple Eight Race Engineering driver winning the Repco Supercars Championship on his first attempt with his new team.
Brown sealed the crown with a charge to second in the VAILO Adelaide 500 opener, clinching the championship with one race left. It formally ended any chance teammate Broc Feeney had in what was a rollercoaster season.
However, that Adelaide run was just one moment in a year that everyone threw everything at Brown, who seemed to have an answer for everything.
1) Brown's incredible early run
New team? No worries. Brown finished first or second in the first six races of the season across Bathurst and Melbourne, at an average finish of 1.7. Feeney won three times, but finished third twice and slipped off the podium in the second Grand Prix sprint. Chaz Mostert, meanwhile, claimed three podiums, but slipped up in the other three races to leave Melbourne 93 points behind.
2) Brown asserts himself as Feeney and Mostert strike trouble
The first trip to Taupō was pivotal, with Brown getting his first real break over his closest rivals. Cam Waters dropped 388 points to Brown over the first three rounds, and couldn't pull it back. Feeney and Mostert encountered shockers in the wet race, Feeney sent into a spin and down to 21st, with Mostert dramatically losing a wheel. A day later, Triple Eight set the pace, but Brown landed a hammer blow in defeating Feeney in a thrilling battle to win.
3) Feeney slumps in Perth
WAU and Tickford Racing set the pace in Perth, Mostert crossing the line first in both races, and Cam Waters inheriting victory on Sunday. Triple Eight had to find a way to get results, and that's what Brown did, finishing second and third. Brown did it the hard way, fighting past Thomas Randle in the finale to finish on the podium despite a penalty. Feeney, however, struggled to finishes of fifth and seventh, dropping 65 points.
4) Brown limits damage as WAU's fumbles continue
Feeney returned to form in Darwin with a stunning sweep, first muscling past James Golding to take the lead on Saturday, before cruising to victory on Sunday. Crucially, on a weekend Feeney had the edge, Brown made sure he limited the damage. Brown finished third behind Feeney and Mark Winterbottom on Saturday to lose just 21 points, before ceding 12 more points a day later after coming home second. Behind them, WAU had a nightmare on the Super Soft, Mostert qualifying outside the top 20 and leaving Hidden Valley 279 points down.
5) Feeney unable to capitalise on Brown's worst day
The Fords were again the strongest in Townsville and Sydney, and Brown clinched two more podiums. In the Townsville finale, Brown made his biggest mistake, tripping over David Reynolds and limping home to last place. On a weekend Feeney could have made big inroads, he instead finished seventh twice. The margin was down to 78 points, before it blew out again in Sydney as Feeney slumped to ninth and 11th.
6) Brown benefits from Feeney's Symmons shocker
Mostert and Feeney took more points away from Brown in the Tasmania opener, and the scene was set for a thrilling Sunday. As he had done multiple times in 2024, Brown bounced back and put the pressure back on Sunday, and Feeney looked to have done enough to limit the damage after passing Randle. Randle, however, made a grave error and wiped Feeney out the hairpin, opening up a margin between the two Triple Eight drivers that Feeney would be unable to recover from.
7) Triple Eight pulls away at Sandown
Triple Eight was again the benchmark at Sandown, and on this occasion, Brown landed another blow on Feeney with a maiden endurance race win. It so easily could have been either driver, yet it was Feeney who made the crucial error, bowling a wide on cold tyres as he exited the pits. The duo made contact but survived, and Brown emerged ahead. Mostert and Waters, meanwhile, both missed the podium, the former's title challenge beginning to unravel after being in a position of strength.
8) No errors in gruelling Great Race after Pye crash
Second and third in Bathurst was enough for Triple Eight to clinch the teams' championship, and while victory eluded them, it was still somewhat of a win for Brown. Feeney clawed back 18 points, but third was a strong result for Brown after co-driver Scott Pye crashed the car in Thursday practice.
9) Brown recovers from Gold Coast crash, WAU wipes out
The pressure seemed to get to Brown after he crashed out of Gold Coast qualifying, relegating him to the midfield for the start of the Saturday race. He climbed through to seventh as Feeney reached the podium, but again, Brown bounced back on Sunday. Brown led Feeney behind Brodie Kostecki, who backed up his Bathurst triumph. The margin heading to Adelaide was 180 points, enough for Brown to have a chance to clinch it early. WAU, meanwhile, suffered a double disaster and lost Mostert from the championship fight. Mostert could easily have taken two podiums and been a contender in Adelaide, but a gear position sensor issue and refuelling error killed his hopes.
10) Brown seals the deal in Adelaide
Feeney needed to win on Saturday, which he did. Brown needed third to clinch the title, and he went one step further with second. It was the story of both of their seasons; whenever Feeney did enough, Brown did a little more. It set up a big Sunday, and Brown somehow charged through to put a stamp on the field with victory after being tagged early by Kostecki. Feeney was the biggest loser, taking out Mostert in an ugly incident that ultimately handed victory to Brown.
