DID YOU KNOW?

THE last time Jack Le Brocq was a lead driver at the Gold Coast, he twice stood on top of the podium. This time around, he’s expecting a “pretty hairy” experience.

Back in 2011, Le Brocq enjoyed a stellar round at Surfers Paradise that helped him finish second in the Australian Formula Ford championship.

Now 26, he is in his maiden season as a Supercars fulltimer with Yatala-based team Tekno Autosports, having previously had three campaigns as a co-driver around the traps.

Coming off a testing Bathurst 1000, in which he and team owner Jonathon Webb placed 15th – only after the team worked until 3am to repair damage from a qualifying crash on Friday – Le Brocq is hoping the Gold Coast can be kind to him once more.

The No.19 driver has had a taste of the Surfers Paradise concrete canyon before but knows it will be all the more difficult to navigate as the main driver, who has to hustle the car at full pelt in qualifying to gain the best possible starting position.

“As a co-driver you don’t have to push at 100 per cent because there’s no real need for it, you just need to bring the car back to (the lead driver) in one piece,” he said.

“So for us this year, qualifying the car is going to be massive.

“It’s a hard circuit to pass so qualifying is crucial. It’s going to be pretty hairy I think.

“It’s something I have been working on a lot, to get my qualifying right, so yeah I am hoping I can do a good job there.”

Although indifferent about his qualifying form, Le Brocq’s race results have propelled him to 18th in the standings, comfortably ahead of the series’ other four rookies.

As for a thrill of a different kind – meeting an eagle at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary – Le Brocq added: “I suppose not many people can say they have held an eagle before.

“It was cool to get up close and personal with a bird of that size.”