Who won the teammate fights in 2022? Part 1

The first rule in motorsport is beat your teammate.

Some teams were close to the end, others not so much — but all battles set the framework for a competitive 2023.

In Part 1, we look at those sitting in the back half of the teams’ championship.

There are some surprising disparities, but some very close race head-to-heads.

Find out how the head-to-heads went down in the 34 races this year.

EREBUS MOTORSPORT

Brodie Kostecki: 7th in championship, 3 podiums, 1 pole, 16 top 10s

Will Brown: 14th in championship, 1 podium, 13 top 10s

Race head-to-head: Kostecki 21, Brown 13

Percentage of team points: Kostecki 55%, Brown 45%

Brown was touted as the next big thing after 2021, but Kostecki put those hopes on ice as he dominated his teammate. Kostecki scored three podiums to Brown's one, and also scored a maiden pole in Sydney. The cherry on top? Beating former Erebus driver David Reynolds to seventh overall in the last race of the season in Adelaide.

TEAM 18

Mark Winterbottom: 9th in championship, 15 top 10s

Scott Pye: 16th in championship, 12 top 10s

Race head-to-head: Winterbottom 22, Pye 12

Percentage of team points: Winterbottom 56%, Pye 44%

Winterbottom and Pye, as they were in 2020 and 2021, were fairly evenly matched on pace. The different was Winterbottom's ability to reach the chequered flag, the 2015 champion finishing all 34 races. Pye's poor luck again reared its head, but given his remarkable pace in Adelaide, he more than proved he can take it to the big guns when he has a clean run.

BRAD JONES RACING

Andre Heimgartner: 10th in championship, 4 podiums, 21 top 10s

Bryce Fullwood: 17th in championship, 4 top 10s

Macauley Jones: 19th in championship, 1 top 10

Jack Smith: 24th in championship

Race head-to-head: Heimgartner 24, Fullwood 6, Jones 3, Smith 1

Percentage of team points: Heimgartner 34%, Fullwood 25%, Jones 23%, Smith 18%

Like Cam Waters, Heimgartner was the standout of a four-car fleet. The Kiwi scored podiums at Wanneroo, Winton and Pukekohe and finished 10th overall. However, he claims he could have been as high as sixth, and considering his poor luck and DNFs, you'd believe him. Fullwood's first season with BJR also showed glimpses of promise, with his highlight a stunning charge from 24th to ninth at the Repco Bathurst 1000 with Dean Fiore.

MATT STONE RACING

Todd Hazelwood: 18th in championship, 7 top 10s

Jack Le Brocq: 21st in championship, 2 top 10s

Race head-to-head: Le Brocq 17, Hazelwood 17

Percentage of team points: Hazelwood 54%, Le Brocq 46%

Hazelwood had recorded seven top 10s in the first 12 races, but managed none after that. Le Brocq had to wait until Race 17 in Darwin to score his first top 10, and backed it up in Townsville. They were only 107 points apart in the standings, but Le Brocq’s six DNFs hampered him compared to Hazelwood’s two. Remarkably, Hazelwood’s two DNFs came in consecutive races late in the season at Surfers Paradise and Adelaide.

PREMIAIR RACING

Chris Pither: 20th in championship, 7 podiums, 2 poles, 1 top 10

James Golding (16 races): 25th in championship, 3 top 10s

Garry Jacobson (18 races): 26th in championship, 3 top 10s

Race head-to-head: Pither 12, Jacobson 12, Golding 10

Percentage of team points: Pither 52%, Jacobson/Golding 48%

Pither held his own all season and finished all 34 races, but it was his teammates who brought home PremiAir Racing's best results. With Pither as his teammate, Jacobson won the race head-to-head 12-6. Golding joined after Darwin, and pipped Pither 10-6. Overall, Pither was 12-22 down on his teammates, but his 'Mr Consistent' status held him in good stead.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will commence in Newcastle next March.

Tickets are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.