Skaife fires Kostecki warning shot at Supercars field
Brodie Kostecki form "bodes well" for enduros, says Mark Skaife
Kostecki won first race for Dick Johnson Racing in Townsville
Kostecki has three Bathurst podiums in last four starts, including 2024 win
Mark Skaife believes Brodie Kostecki could be a handful in the year's longest races following the Dick Johnson Racing star's breakout performance in Townsville.
Kostecki is 246 points clear of the danger zone in the hunt for a berth in The Finals, and made his biggest statement yet in Shell V-Power colours with victory at Reid Park.
While the rest of the weekend fell away for Kostecki, the Friday win was the clearest sign DJR is close to cracking the code with its star recruit.
Crucially, instead of throwing the toys out of the cot with the Sunday slump, Kostecki insisted his team had what it takes to find solutions.
Ipswich will prove whether the team has what it takes to make a splash at The Bend and Bathurst, but there's little doubt over the driver.
Last September, DJR announced Kostecki's blockbuster deal. Just weeks later, he was a Bathurst 1000 winner, and was an early contender at the Sandown 500. It comes after Kostecki claimed Bathurst podiums with Erebus Motorsport in 2021 and 2023, as well as a runner-up finish in the 2023 Sandown 500.
While DJR's deficiencies are still lingering in the background, Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood are a formidable combination, and performance in the enduros could vault Kostecki up the order for The Finals.
Kostecki is still fourth of Ford's leading quartet of Matt Payne, Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert. However, with the 2025 Enduro Cup on the horizon, given DJR's trajectory to the front, Supercars Hall of Famer Skaife likes what he sees.
“His demeanour changes the field,” Skaife said of Kostecki on The Formation Lap.
“When he’s up there, he intimidates people, he races hard.
“He’s the sort of guy you want to be up there and in contention, because it makes a difference to the racing.
“When you look at the way they’ve tuned the cars, and the way they’re performing and getting better and better, that bodes well for the long distance races, no doubt.”
The 2025 Supercars season resumes at the Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440. Supercars drivers will contest three races at the August 8-10 event. Tickets are on sale now. International viewers can watch the action on SuperView.
