Feeney/Whincup combo retained for 2023 enduros
Red Bull Ampol Racing has confirmed Jamie Whincup will return alongside Broc Feeney for the 2023 Supercars enduros.
Triple Eight boss Whincup will share the #88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro with Feeney at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000.
The two drivers first raced together in last year’s Great Race, and fought back from a first-lap incident to finish fifth.
It comes after the team locked Richie Stanaway in alongside Shane van Gisbergen in the #97 entry.
“I’m stoked the team has decided that I am the best person to co-drive the #88 car alongside Broc for this year’s endurance races,” Whincup said.
“There’s no doubt that Broc is becoming a more confident and competitive driver in the series — you just have to look at his results after the first three rounds to prove that, and I couldn’t ask for a more compatible co-driver.
"He has good morals and a good attitude who knows the definition of hard work, and we’ve enjoyed watching him grow as a driver with the support of a formidable team around him.
“I’m thrilled that Sandown has returned to the enduro calendar this year, allowing us co-drivers to have more time in these Gen3 cars.
"Having a longer enduro campaign will allow Broc and I, along with Shane and Richie to work closely together to ensure we’re competitive at both events.”
The 2023 enduro season has expanded to two events, with Sandown returning as a ‘500’ for the first time since 2019.
Given there are two enduros this season, co-drivers will play a greater role in the championship battles.
“It’s great to have Jamie back as my co-driver for a second season,” Feeney said.
"It still doesn’t feel real that I’m in this environment at Triple Eight with him, and to be able to co-drive together for another year is awesome.
“He was fantastic last year, and I learnt so much from him. I feel like we’re building a better relationship all the time, and I feel like we can have a really positive enduro campaign this year.
Engineer Short, Feeney and Whincup
"Being two events this year makes it even more crucial to have a good co-driver, and I couldn’t have a better person by my side.
“Having only Bathurst as a one-off last year was still great, but now I feel like for two solid months we’re going to be working super closely together to get the best results possible.”
The Whincup announcement is no surprise given the seven-time champion is competing for Triple Eight in GT racing.
The 124-time Supercars race winner has already sampled Gen3 machinery, and has proven a strong ally for Feeney in his early days as a full-time driver.
"I think it’s great for the co-drivers as well to have two events which means they’ll get more time in these new cars,” Feeney added.
"It’s going to be key to have someone who’s still fresh out of the seat and still driving a lot, obviously racing in GTs this year.
"He’s had a lot of success at both tracks, so I’m really looking forward to our campaign this year.
Feeney has won two races in 2023
“Jamie has been super open to me for the past 16 months while I’ve been driver of the #88. He’s really been opening up to me and sharing his racing IP and gave me access to a lot of his work which has been invaluable.
"The way he goes about his racing has really stood out, and I think it stands out to a lot of people and is certainly a reason for his success. For me, to be the lucky guy to be on the receiving end of that information is awesome.”
The Penrite Oil Sandown 500 will open the enduro season on September 15-17, with the Repco Bathurst 1000 to be held on October 5-8.
Feeney is fifth in the championship, 220 points behind Erebus Motorsport’s Brodie Kostecki, heading to the next round at Symmons Plains.
Van Gisbergen is second, 136 points from the championship lead.
The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint on May 19-21.
Tickets for the event are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.
