Brodie Kostecki out to end Perth Supercars hoodoo
West Aussie favourite has never won at Wanneroo Raceway
Kostecki famously outduelled by Shane van Gisbergen in 2023
Victory on home soil in Perth remains a clear goal for Brodie Kostecki, who heads West in red hot form.
The Shell V-Power Racing Team star motored to victory lane with a peerless performance in the NTI Townsville 500 finale earlier this month.
It had been 10 races between drinks for Kostecki, whose previous win — his fifth in the first 11 races — came in Christchurch back in April.
The upcoming Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440 will be Kostecki’s fifth visit to Motormall Wanneroo Raceway in Supercars. His previous four have produced mixed results, for no wins.
After finishes of eighth and sixth in the first two 2022 races, Kostecki clashed with cousin Jake at the final corner. In 2023, he reeled off three straight podiums, but missed out on victory each time, famously being outduelled by Shane van Gisbergen.
A first corner clash and mechanical failure delivered results of 22nd and a DNF in 2024, before his first run with Dick Johnson Racing produced results of fifth, seventh and 11th, the latter result undone by a track limits penalty.
All told, since 1973, only three of 100 races at Wanneroo have been won by a West Aussie, all coming at the hands of Garth Tander in 2007.
Speaking after his Townsville victory, 2024 Bathurst winner Kostecki set a target on ending his Wanneroo wait, but made no secret of the challenge ahead.
“I’ve never won on home soil, so that would be really nice,” the 17-time Supercars race winner said.
“We’ll have to see how we go. Perth’s a really odd place, it requires a different car to make speed around there.”
For all of his career successes, it’s odd to read that Kostecki doesn’t have a win, nor a pole position, at his home track.
The short, sharp and technical Wanneroo layout is among the trickiest challenges for drivers and engineers alike. To date, Kostecki hasn’t nailed it — but that’s exactly what he wants to do.
“It’s an awkward layout,” Kostecki said of the 2.4km circuit
“It’s a lot different to a lot of the tracks that we go to. It’s very flow-y, it’s very car-dependent.
“It’ll be interesting to see how it goes there, generally you see odd cars up towards the car front, with different set-up philosophies.
“We’ll see if we can nail it, it’d be really cool to get a win on home soil."
Track action in Perth commences on Friday July 31.
