How 18-year-old Feeney is handling the limelight

The past 12 months have been a whirlwind for current Dunlop Super2 Series leader Broc Feeney.

It has been a rapid ascent to the top tier of Australian motorsport; he became the youngest winner in the Super3 Series.

Last year, he made his Bathurst 1000 debut last year on his 18th birthday.

Earlier this year, the Gold Coast-born racer turned heads in his first Super2 outing with Triple Eight in 2021.

In Bathurst, Feeney claimed victory in Race 1, defeating teammate Angelo Mouzouris in a thrilling race.

Last month, the public attention reached its peak when Red Bull Ampol Racing confirmed Feeney will replace Jamie Whincup for 2022.

When the 2022 season begins, Feeney will be just 19 years old, making him Triple Eight’s youngest ever driver.

Feeney will also race in this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000 alongside 2005 Supercars champion Russell Ingall.

Being thrust into the limelight at a young age comes with its challenges, but the laid-back Feeney remains unruffled.

"I'm just excited about it, I suppose is the main thing," Feeney told Supercars.com.

"I’m just a kid enjoying life at the moment; I turn 19 next month, so it's all going on for me.

"But yes, as I said, I've just been enjoying the moment and I've had a great year so far in Super2.

"To get the contract signed for next year so early in the year has been awesome for me.

"But I know there's still so much more to go for the rest of the year, so we’ve still got Super2, and we’ve still got the Bathurst wildcard.

"It's going to be so good for me to have my first hit out against those main drivers and just get a feel for the ZB Commodore as well.

"I'm looking forward to it, it's going to be a very busy back-end to the year but it’s getting a bit boring sitting around at home, so I'm itching to get going again."

Feeney graduated from high school only 12 months ago, and admitted his trajectory has surprised his fellow alumni.

"I think all the kids that I probably went to school with probably thought it was a little bit more of a hobby a few years ago," he said.

"Now they're like, 'Man he's actually got a job doing that'.

"Yeah, it's been crazy 12 months for me; it was only 12 months ago I was sitting in the school, going through my year 12 exams.

"And I now have signed with the biggest team and Australian motorsport, so it's been a whirlwind for me these last 12 months.

"A lot of people sort of said to me, they expected it, but personally, it's a big relief to get it all done.

"Just to let everyone know, as well, it's hard hiding it from people when I knew for a few weeks before it, but it's been good to get it out.

"All the media sort of happened in that one week; now it's sort of died down a little bit now, which is good, so I can focus on myself a little bit more and prepare for Bathurst."