Feeney's fighting words to team after Tasmania heartbreak
Broc Feeney 198 points behind Will Brown after Tasmania
Feeney hit out of podium contention by Thomas Randle
Feeney/Jamie Whincup arrive at Sandown as reigning champs
"We've got to win the next two to get back in this thing.”
That was the first radio message Broc Feeney sent to his team after suffering late disaster at Symmons Plains, setting the Triple Eight star on an enduro warpath.
Feeney heads to Sandown 198 points behind teammate Will Brown, with the former losing a bag of points in a collision with Thomas Randle.
The dramatic incident set of a chain reaction, with Randle and Triple Eight Team Manager Mark Dutton in a post-race altercation that led to the latter receiving a reprimand.
At the centre of it all was Feeney, who despite winning more races than any other driver this season, is fighting to keep his championship hopes alive.
However, while there was clear disappointment, Feeney immediately let his team know the fight was only just beginning.
“We're certainly not out of it by any means. Then you've got 600 points in the next two races,” Feeney told Supercars.com after Tasmania.
"I've got all the confidence in the world that we can go to Sandown and Bathurst and certainly have a shot at winning.
“Probably can be a little more aggressive than what we have been and, you know, take a little few more risks than that now.
"I said to the team when I crossed the line, ‘We've got to win the next two to get back in this thing’. So that's certainly the goal.”
Feeney won the 2023 Sandown 500 alongside Jamie Whincup, and led a close co-driver combinations Supercars.com poll at the time of publication.
Whincup has racked up plenty of laps in pre- and post-Tasmania tests, ensuring the seven-time champion is match-fit heading to the biggest races of the year.
Beyond Sandown and the title fight, Feeney is also keen to atone for his Bathurst disaster from last year, when his race was cruelly ended by a mechanical issue.
"Jamie fitted in like an old glove, almost exactly back to how it was last year. It's great, he’s super comfy and doing a great job," the 21-year-old said after Tuesday's test.
"Obviously, we were really strong at Sandown last year and I think Tasmania, we certainly had some speed, we just didn't execute it. She's a long race at Sandown, but it does go pretty quick also.
"I'm happy though, I've got a great co-driver, we've got a great team, I'm sure we're going to have a fast car, so it's just going to be about executing that weekend as a whole."
