Le Brocq confident at Bathurst with Dogecoin community support
Past success at Mount Panorama and a new partnership with the Dogecoin Digital Currency community has Erebus Academy driver Jack Le Brocq sporting high expectations heading into this weekend's Dunlop Series mini-enduro at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
In a first for Australian motorsport, the Dogecoin community will support Le Brocq with prominent branding on the bonnet of the #49 Image Racing car following on from the success of the organisation's support of NASCAR driver Josh Wise at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year.
Dogecoin, which is recognised by its unique "shiba inu" dog branding, is an open source peer-to-peer digital currency that also supported a range of charities including water access interventions, flood relief measures, and Olympic sporting teams.
"It will be great to have Dogecoin supporting us for Bathurst, and the whole community has gotten right behind it all," said Le Brocq.
"Last week I was invited to take part in an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Dogecoin's reddit page - it was pretty interesting and I was asked some pretty good questions on there.
"I think we even got some new people on Dogecoin's reddit page from my social media links, so that's cool.
"The Dogecoin community is already pretty large in the USA, but they're still growing here in Australia, so it will be great to have them on board for the biggest race of the year!"
Le Brocq has had significant success at Bathurst in the past going back to his Formula Ford days where he won three races in 2012.
He also scored a podium finish with co-drivers Will Davison and Greg Crick at the Bathurst 12-Hour race earlier this year in the Erebus Motorsport GT SLS AMG GT3.
His experience at the Mount Panorama circuitprovides him with a full appreciation of what it takes to be successful at the mountain.
"Bathurst is such an iconic race track with so much history, and so many great drivers have won so many great races there," said Le Brocq.
"It's just a high-speed, awesome circuit with a great atmosphere, and I expect that driving a V8 Supercar there will be pretty cool!
"The whole track is quite tricky, but I enjoy the crest at the top of Skyline as you start going downhill through the esses - that's probably my favourite part of the track, which is also probably the most challenging part.
"It's a section where you can either loose or gain a lot of time - it's all about driving the car on the edge."
Le Brocq and his Image Racing team will also receive an additional boost for the weekend, after being teamed up with Erebus Motorsport V8's Nathan Leech.
Leech, who is Head of Design and Manufacture at Erebus Motorsport V8, engineered Scott McLaughlin to his 2012 Dunlop Series win with Stone Brothers Racing, now Erebus Motorsport V8.
The wealth of experience which Leech brings will add to Le Brocq's already successful debut in the Dunlop Series with Terry Wyhoon's Image Racing team this year.
"To have Nathan on board over the Bathurst weekend will be fantastic given his level of experience within the Dunlop Series, and also in the main game, it's massive for me," said Le Brocq.
"We've already had some great results this year with a couple of sixth places, and we've just kept improving, so Nathan will add to the great team we've already got."
Unique to the Bathurst round, the Dunlop Series will feature a 250km race on Saturday afternoon, complete with pit stops and optional co-drivers.
Le Brocq, who will be the sole driver of the #49 FG Falcon, will utilise Erebus Motorsport V8 pit crew in addition to his own Image Racing crew, as mandated by the regulations.
The pit stop will include a minimum refuelling volume of 80 litres and a tyre change providing another exciting aspect to the mini-endurance race.
"I'm really looking forward the longer race instead of having two shorter races," said Le Brocq.
"It's a great opportunity to teach us younger drivers to get a feel for driving a Supercar over a longer distance, and experience how the brakes will fade over an hour and a half.
"And it will be great to get a feel for how the car will handle after the pit stop with the fresh tyres and the full tank."
Le Brocq's recent run of good results with Image Racing including a season-best round result of eighth place at Ipswich, together with his previous wins and podium at Bathurst, has the youngster feeling confident.
A successful recent test at Winton Motor Raceway with Image Racing and Leech has further buoyed Le Brocq who is aiming for a top five result in the 250km race.
"The goal is a top five finish, and I think that's pretty reasonable, and if we get up further than that it would be amazing, but it's a long race so we'll need to keep our head down and stay out of trouble," he said.
"The whole team is feeling really confident especially after we had such a great test at Winton a few weeks ago.
"I can't wait to get to the mountain and get back in the Supercar!"
