Erebus 'not counting chickens' despite brilliant start

Erebus Motorsport isn't getting ahead of itself despite a stunning weekend in Newcastle, says Brodie Kostecki.

Kostecki and Will Brown occupy second and sixth overall in the drivers’ standings after two gruelling races in Newcastle.

The team, which now runs under the Coca-Cola Racing banner, also leads the teams’ championship by 78 points.

Kostecki inherited third position from Saturday’s Race 1 after both Red Bull Ampol Camaros were disqualified.

It came after Kostecki scored the very first ARMOR ALL Pole Position of the Gen3 era.

Come Sunday, and both cars struggled over one lap — Kostecki and Brown qualifying 15th and 17th — before both driver charged in the race.

Kostecki motored to sixth, while Brown finished 13th having been penalised over contact with Cameron Hill midway through the race.

Through it all, Erebus is well-placed and has a trophy and pole cheque to boot — but Kostecki is being patient.

“We won’t count our chickens yet, it’s only the first round,” Kostecki said.

“A real up and down day, obviously qualifying 15th after qualifying on pole isn’t something you want to do.

“I’m glad we found out what we did wrong. We had a pretty strong race on car #99.

“To drive from 15th to sixth, and have top three pace was pretty cool.

“We’ll go again and get ready for the Grand Prix.”

Brown was reclassified in fourth in Saturday’s results, and is 90 points behind championship leader Chaz Mostert.

Kostecki is just 45 points behind heading to the Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint.

“We both made really good starts and moved through the field,” Brown said.

“I unfortunately got a five-second penalty, which was my fault for a bump-and-run.

“Overall, a disappointing day, but I leave here sixth in the championship — there’s not too many downs for the weekend.

“We’ve got to learn on these cars. Hopefully we can come back stronger.”

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at Albert Park on March 30-April 2.