Le Brocq facing 'crucial' Tasmania test as Finals pressure builds
Jack Le Brocq remains inside Finals bubble after New Zealand
MSR veteran currently 10th, 23 points ahead of reigning champion Chaz Mostert
Upcoming round in Tasmania historically strong for MSR operation
Supercars' silent assassin was once again lurking in the shadows in the ITM New Zealand Double Header.
Amidst parity triggers, aero changes, and declarations that Chevrolet doesn't have any "A-grade" drivers, Jack Le Brocq quietly chipped away to secure three top 10 finishes across the six races.
Two of those came in the final two Christchurch races, meaning the #4 Sherrin Rentals Chevrolet is still in the top 10 with seven rounds and some 3760km of racing remaining.
However, it could've been even better for the two-time race winner, who was left to wonder what could've been as he couldn't capitalise on strong speed in Sunday qualifying.
Assessing his weekend on the Equip Super Cool Down Lap, Le Brocq described it as: "Up and down, it's been a track that I've been struggling with a little bit to be honest.
"Just struggled with the flow through the infield section, but it hasn't been too bad, today we ended up with a seventh, so some nice points.
"Obviously a few other shenanigans going on, but we've got some good speed.
"Even this morning in qualifying we changed a fait bit, and we were P3 in that first part, and we didn't quite get the tyre phasing right for the second one.
"It was a shame to miss the Shootout, because the car was quick enough. Anyway, we made some good progress."
Supercars.com's early prediction as to who will make up the Finals field sees only one driver bump their way into the 10, namely reigning champion Chaz Mostert at the expense of Le Brocq.
Le Brocq now finds himself in the Finals hot seat, sitting on the bubble in 10th with 23 points of cushion over Mostert, who seemed to unlock performance out of his brand-new Toyota GR Supra in Christchurch.
However, form surges for the likes of Kai Allen and Will Brown have launched them up the order by six and four places respectively, with Le Brocq slipping back four places.
Yet, to turn things back around, there are arguably few better places to do it than Tasmania, where MSR an average finish of 9.6 in the Gen3 era, highlighted by a stunning upset win for Nick Percat in 2024.
Perhaps more pressing is the team's trend fading away in the second half of the season, something which cost Percat and Cameron Hill in particular a Finals berth last year. Le Brocq knows that Tasmania could be a pivotal weekend.
“Both rounds in New Zealand were another solid step forward for us," Le Brocq said.
"We showed strong pace, kept building each session, and converted that into consistent results to stay inside the top 10.
"The championship points we build up now, early in the season, are going to be crucial in those Finals knockout rounds later in the year.
"There’s still definitely more to unlock, but it feels like the momentum is behind us as we head into Tasmania.”
The Tyrepower Tasmania Super 440 will be held from May 22-24. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
