Ryan's redeeming verdict despite winless start
Barry Ryan is proud to have retained Erebus Motorsport's run of top five results despite a winless start to 2022.
Erebus has had a car finish in the top five at every race event since the start of 2021.
It's a marker made even more impressive that Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki are still among the most inexperienced drivers on the grid.
Brown's finish of fifth in the Winton finale ensured Erebus retained its top-five record.
It could have been better had Kostecki not picked up a penalty for speeding in pit lane.
Kostecki dropped to 13th; he opened the weekend with finishes of seventh and 11th.
It came after Brown suffered a mishap in his Race 13 pit stop, costing him a potential podium.
While committed to returning Erebus to the winners' circle, Erebus boss Ryan was happy to keep his cars at the pointy end.
“It’s a pity we had Brodie’s penalty [in Race 15], we would have had fifth and sixth,” Ryan told Supercars' Cool Down Lap podcast.
“We kept our run of top fives in every round since the start of last year.
“That’s something we’re pretty proud of, and something we want to keep going.
“Not many teams have done that, especially with two rookie drivers.
“Top fives are hard to get, and we’ve done it at every round since the start of last year.
“It’s good."
Brown helped Erebus score its most recent victory at Sydney Motorsport Park last November.
Kostecki is eighth in the points, and Brown 15th; Brown, however, is only 77 points from ninth overall.
Erebus also brought up its 300th race start, having debuted with three AMG-E63 entries in 2013.
In that time, the team has won Bathurst and continues to be a menace for the bigger teams.
The team celebrated the milestone at Winton with team owner Betty Klimenko present.
Ryan, who has been at the helm for much of the success, reiterated that wins remain the team's primary goal.
“It was good to have Betty here for it,” Ryan said of the race milestone.
“We’ve been through a lot in that time.
"When you look at the stats, we’ve had 34 podiums in 300 races, so 10 per cent.
“That’s not too bad; a lot of teams haven’t got that. Nine wins… I sound like a stats man!
“It doesn’t really matter; the next win is what we’re chasing.
“We’ve got to win more races this year and win Bathurst; that’s our aim."
Erebus scored wins at Hidden Valley Raceway, the site of the next round, in 2018 and 2020.
The 2022 season will resume in Darwin next month. Purchase your tickets now.
