'Boxing gloves out': Brown weighs in on Triple Eight/WTWGR rivalry
Rivalry between Triple Eight and WTWGR "definitely real," says Will Brown
Rivalry hit fever pitch after Ryan Wood and Broc Feeney collided in Adelaide
Ryan Walkinshaw, Jamie Whincup have since fired shots on podcasts
Will Brown insists the tense rivalry between Triple Eight Race Engineering and Walkinshaw TWG Racing is "definitely real" following a series of on- and off-track run-ins.
A wild conclusion to the 2025 season, with Chaz Mostert winning the title following a controversial clash between teammate Ryan Wood and Triple Eight contender Broc Feeney, set the tone for a fiery build-up to 2026.
The tension between the teams flowed into the new season, from Feeney and Wood both confirming they haven't cleared the air with each other, and both teams' bosses firing barbs on podcasts.
Just days later, Jamie Whincup accused WTWGR of running illegal chassis on the Apex Hunters United podcast, with a social media clip sparking fierce reaction and prompting Walkinshaw to rebuke the claims.
The tension spilled over on track, Feeney and Mostert colliding in the second Melbourne race, before Mostert was penalised over a clash with Brown in the Saturday race.
"I get along with Ryan [Walkinshaw]. Obviously it was a crazy part to the end of last year, what happened between the two teams," Brown said on MotorRacing360.
"Me and Brodie [Kostecki] obviously run the podcast together and thought it'd be a great way to delve into what happened there. But really to be honest, it wasn't about that. It was about the history of what Ryan had done in the sport and all of that.
"But [Adelaide] was a crazy moment. It sparked a rivalry between the two teams and it's definitely real.
"Chaz Mostert hit me off on the weekend and I think he suggested that it was due to what we said about the chassis. So it's gonna spark up there and we'll see what happens. But we're keen to get the boxing gloves out and have a go."
Brown was a fan of the rivalry, saying the sport has come a long way with drivers speaking their minds and firing up at each other since he debuted in 2021. At that time, Supercars was part-owned by the teams.
The 12-time race winner suggested that the "loosening" of on-track racing rules and the introduction of Finals racing has taken the sport to another level, leading to more on- and on-track reaction.
"We're all racing hard, to be honest," Brown said.
"I kicked off in 2021 and — I don't know if you'd call it soft — but nobody wanted to stick their neck out or be the one to do that because there was a lot of criticism around. And that's from media, but it's also from fans.
"I've really enjoyed the last year, because not only me and Brodie are doing it, there's other drivers doing it. You can see in their interviews, they're starting to loosen up, say how they feel.
"The racing's getting tougher. I think them loosening up the rules on the racing that we can get our shoulders out, we can race harder now, it, it brings more of a rivalry into it. People are getting annoyed at each other and they're starting to speak out.
"I think it got a little bit too tame, you'd touch a car and you knew you were getting a penalty. So I've really enjoyed that side of it. I've enjoyed drivers getting into other drivers.
"I think there's a lot of hype around the sport right now and a couple of rivalries down pit lane, which I think we really need to bring back into the sport. We don't want fake ones. We want real ones."
The 2026 season resumes in New Zealand on April 10-12.
