Brown, Feeney fighting off pre-Bathurst setbacks
Will Brown, Broc Feeney fighting off injury niggles before Bathurst
Reigning champion Brown rolled ankle, in moonboot between rounds
Feeney, Brown chasing first Bathurst 1000 victories
Triple Eight stars Will Brown and Broc Feeney are both fighting off minor setbacks ahead of this weekend’s Repco Bathurst 1000.
Brown and Feeney will vie for their maiden Great Race wins alongside co-drivers Scott Pye and Jamie Whincup respectively. However, Brown and Feeney have had a less-than-ideal lead-in to Bathurst, courtesy of some injury niggles.
Brown jetted off to feature at last weekend’s Deniliquin Ute Muster, where he was spotted in a moonboot. Later, it was revealed that the Queenslander had injured himself playing touch football.
Repco Sprint Cup winner and championship leader Feeney, meanwhile, is receiving treatment for back tightness.
“I’ve just [got] one driver walking around looking like he’s 60 years old and the other one in a moonboot after rolling his ankle running,” Whincup told News Corp.
“[Brown] rolled his ankle last Friday running. So, he’s walking around in a moonboot, the other one is limping around… so they have both got a bit of recovery to do in the next three or four days before we get on track.”
Brown is no stranger to recovery between rounds, breaking his arm after a fall in 2020, and undergoing back surgery between Bathurst and the Gold Coast in 2023.
Cars will hit the track on Thursday, with Feeney eager to bounce back from a tough run to 19th at The Bend, caused by a refuelling disaster.
“I’m just really excited. It’s the one race that when you finish it on Sunday, all you can think about is getting back there in 12 months’ time,” said Feeney, who also spent time in the United States between rounds.
"It’s been hard for me the last couple of years. We’ve always been able put ourselves in great positions when we’ve come to Bathurst.
“Obviously, The Bend was disappointing but there was still plenty of positives to take away."
Brown added: “I think we had really strong race pace at The Bend, which was fantastic. Obviously, our qualifying again was tough, but really good in the race. To get up to fourth on a track that was really hard to pass at was excellent. Scott did an amazing job.
"So, I think we take a lot of confidence heading into Bathurst and making sure we just build on what we had. If we do a really good job in qualifying and can put in the Shootout, I think we’re a real shot to have a chance of winning it this year."
Track action at Mount Panorama commences on Thursday.
