Garth Tander the only WA-born driver to win at Wanneroo
Brodie Kostecki came closest in 2023 opener after epic battle
Kostecki currently 187 points behind Matt Payne in Sprint Cup
Garth Tander believes fellow West Aussie hero Brodie Kostecki has more incentive chasing a maiden Wanneroo win than trying to fight for the Repco Sprint Cup.
Kostecki heads to his native Perth on the back of a crushing victory at the NTI Townsville 500, which was his sixth of the season, and first since New Zealand in April.
The 2023 Supercars champion has won at nine different tracks — Albert Park, The Bend, Townsville, Bathurst, Sydney, Taupō, Christchurch, Gold Coast and Adelaide — but is winless on home soil in 11 attempts.
Kostecki was mere laps away from breaking through in the 2023 opener, only to be biffed and barged by Shane van Gisbergen in one of the most thrilling races held at the storied venue.
Only one WA-born driver — Tander — has won in Perth, giving Kostecki a clear marker to chase. Tander romped to three wins in as many starts in 2007 en route to the championship.
Speaking on the eve of the 2026 Perth round, Tander suggested a personal milestone will carry plenty of weight for Kostecki, versus trying to eke out what seems an unlikely Sprint Cup win.
“For Brodie, the motivation is winning at home for sure, and the Townsville Sunday win obviously creates momentum for that,” Tander told Supercars.com.
“There will be a lot of chat this week around Brodie winning at home. I was the last WA driver to win in WA, and it was nearly 20 years ago now.
“Motivation-wise, it's not so much about Sprint Cup points for Brodie, it's about personal milestones, and if you can do that this weekend a couple of times, it continues to build momentum for him, and that feels like that's what's happening with Brodie.
"Whilst the momentum's probably a bit late for the Sprint Cup, it's certainly encouraging for him going into the enduros wherein we know how strong he is. He won at The Bend, and he's always strong at Bathurst.”
What is guaranteed, is should Kostecki break through at Wanneroo, he will try and one-up his sensational victory burnout in Townsville, where he tipped it in and brushed the wall.
"I've won at plenty of race tracks, but I haven't won in my hometown yet, which is quite ironic," Kostecki said.
"Would love to obviously win in Perth, and if I do, if everyone thought the burnout was pretty cool in Townsville, they're gonna be pretty big in Perth, that's for sure.
"I've got plans to try pirouette down the hill, so I need to obviously win the race first, but we'll see how I go."
Track action in Perth commences on Friday.
