Johnson: The moment that made Kostecki ’special'
Dick Johnson recalls moment that made Brodie Kostecki "special"
Kostecki outfoxed Jamie Whincup in 2020 Bathurst 1000
Reigning champion to join DJR and Ford in 2025
Outfoxing Jamie Whincup at Bathurst as a rookie was the moment that made Brodie Kostecki “special,” says Dick Johnson.
Kostecki will move from Erebus Motorsport to Dick Johnson Racing in 2025, marking the reigning champion’s second team in Supercars.
The blockbuster move sees Kostecki swap an Chevrolet for a Ford, with the 26-year-old racing Erebus machinery since 2020.
It was in 2020, when Kostecki was making his second Great Race start at just 22, that the then rising star made a name for himself at the biggest race of all.
The West Aussie powered to prominence as a co-driver for Erebus at the 2020 Bathurst 1000, with Kostecki – co-driving with Anton De Pasquale, the driver he’ll now replace at DJR – forced into battle with Whincup.
Famously, Whincup crashed out at The Cutting as Kostecki held firm, something Johnson recalls as a pivotal moment.
“The thing for me that made him special was going back a few years at Bathurst, when Jamie Whincup was trying to get past him,” Johnson said.
“He didn’t fall for any of the tricks or anything like that. He certainly won out in the end.”
Kostecki joins DJR alongside veteran Will Davison, with the Ford team also securing Shell V-Power naming rights for coming seasons.
Johnson said the Kostecki signing is the latest in a line of chapters for DJR, but singled it out as a “really big one.”
“We’ve been through a lot of chapters through many, many years,” Johnson said.
“This to me is the next really big one, I’m really looking forward to it.”
On DJR’s 2025 line-up, Johnson added: “Will has been around a long time, everyone is saying that he’s old, that’s got nothing to do with it.
“It’s a matter of the guy is so focused and all he thinks about is motor racing. As far as Brodie goes, boy, his record speaks for itself.
“We’re in a situation where we can bring him back to the forefront of where he deserves to be.”
The 2024 season resumes at this weekend’s Penrite Oil Sandown 500, with track action getting underway on Friday.
