Feeney building towards title bid

Building on a solid rookie season and consistent trips to the podium are proving key to Broc Feeney’s title hopes in 2023.

After six races, Feeney has crossed the line in the top five on five occasions, and is a last-start winner in Melbourne.

Feeney completed a Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet one-two in Newcastle, which was wiped away after both cars were disqualified.

He bounced back at the Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint to score a podium and second career win, which was off the back of a maiden pole position.

Feeney’s rookie season in 2022 featured two podiums and a win in 34 starts. After six starts in 2023, he has already spent as much time in the top three.

However, it’s staying in the hunt for trophies that will ensure Feeney is a factor in this year’s championship battle.

“For sure, it’s been a good start,” Feeney said after Sunday’s race.

“The biggest thing is building on what we did last year — it was a solid year.

“It’s about making the next step and trying to be in the fight more consistently.

“It’s been a really good start to the year, obviously a lot of change. These Erebus boys are pretty quick as well.

“It’s certainly going to be a battle this year. We’ve got some points to catch up on, luckily we had four decent results this weekend.

“I feel like we’re in the mix — it’s good to be fighting for the podium more often than not at the moment.”

Feeney lost 138 points due to his disqualification in Newcastle. Heading to the next round in Perth, he is 146 points from the championship lead.

Even then, he is closer to the championship lead than he was after two rounds in 2022 — this time last year, Feeney was already 180 points off the pace.

Teammate Shane van Gisbergen has two wins and two podiums

The 20-year-old admitted the team was “bummed” about the double DSQ, but reiterated the team knows where it stands with on-track performance.

However, given Erebus Motorsport’s form at Albert Park, Feeney knows his team has a big fight on its hands.

“Obviously we were bummed about the result getting taken away from us,” Feeney said.

“We still know where we finished in Newcastle, and we still crossed the line in that position.

“No one was down coming into the weekend — but we needed to claw back some points.

“It’s been a good recovery weekend."

Feeney is seventh overall, and teammate Shane van Gisbergen third, heading to Wanneroo later this month.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint on April 28-30.