The unsung hero in rookie Brown's charge to victory

Will Brown has paid tribute to race engineer Tom Moore for aiding his charge to a maiden Supercars victory.

Erebus Motorsport rookie Brown held off Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen in a thrilling BP Ultimate Sydney SuperSprint finale.

It was Brown’s first win, and the first win for Moore as lead engineer.

It couldn’t have come in more stressful circumstances, with Whincup and van Gisbergen - who combine for 177 race wins and eight championships - pushing Brown in the closing laps.

Moore kept Brown sharp as the duelling Red Bull Ampol Racing teammates pushed themselves closer to the rear of the #9 Shaw and Partners Commodore.

Try as they might, Whincup and van Gisbergen couldn’t deny Brown, who became the first rookie to win a race since 2013.

Speaking after the race, Brown lauded the calm Moore for helping him execute a perfect race.

“It’s been fantastic; for Tommy to step up this year from a data engineer, he’s quite a young bloke,” Brown said.

“Like myself, you don’t generally get a start that young.

“We’re not taking 2018, 2019 set-ups; they’ve developed a lot of stuff and done a really good job. It’s a credit to him to jump up and do such a good job.

“I knew what I had to do; I’ve done a lot of racing in the junior categories, I’ve always tried to be a smart racer.”

Brown and Moore stepped up together in 2021; Brown shifted from co-driver to full-timer, with data guru Moore filling Bathurst-winning engineer Alistair McVean’s shoes.

Moore, who was joined by fellow race engineer George Commins and driver Brodie Kostecki in an all-new Erebus line-up in 2021, was humble in his reflection of the race.

“Will’s such a great driver,” said Moore, who is just four years older than Brown.

“He makes me look really good. He was mega that race, I can’t even imagine the pressure on his shoulders in the car.

'It’s a credit to him to jump up and do such a good job'

“It went our way with a tussle behind us, but it’s all part of the game. It was very exciting.”

Brown and Moore could already have enjoyed success in Sydney, with bungled pit stops ruining possible win opportunities at the first two Sydney events.

In Sunday’s race, Erebus executed a sub-four-second, two-tyre stop to release Brown into the effective lead.

Whincup and van Gisbergen took on three tyres each, but instead of fighting to the rear of Brown’s car, they fought with themselves.

Van Gisbergen gave Whincup a tap at Turn 8 on Lap 23, with Whincup feeding the points leader wide on several occasions.

'To be here in my first year as a race engineer is phenomenal'

One key moment saw van Gisbergen take to the grass as he crossed the tunnel crest into Turn 4 on Lap 24.

Brown’s lead blew out to four seconds, but once Whincup and van Gisbergen stopped fighting each other, Brown was vulnerable.

Moore calmly assured Brown he had the pace, and after four laps with the margin less than a second, the 23-year-old rookie had enough to win the race.

For Moore, it was justification of his promotion after years of toil as a data engineer.

“It’s awesome. A lot of late nights, a lot of hard work,” the University of Wollongong alumnus continued.

Brown and Moore helped Erebus to its first win since August 2020

“A lot of hours slogging it out as a data engineer, thinking you’ll get to this point in life.

“To be here in my first year as a race engineer is phenomenal; I feel like retiring now, saying I’m done and I’ve ticked all the boxes!

“It makes you more hungry and we want to keep the form up, really.”

The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship will resume this weekend at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.

Every session of the event will be broadcast live on Foxtel (Fox Sports 506) and streamed on Kayo.

The Seven Network will provide live free to air coverage of the event.

Tickets for the event are on sale now.