Supercars champ Kostecki returns after his ‘tune-up’
Brodie Kostecki admitted he copped a “bit of a tune-up” from his most trusted advisers as the Supercars champion returned behind the wheel at an Erebus testing day in Winton ahead of his racing comeback next weekend.
Kostecki’s shock attempt to quit Erebus Racing on the eve of the Supercars season rocked the motorsport world but after missing the first two events in Bathurst and Melbourne, the reigning champion is back at the team ahead of next weekend’s Taupo race in New Zealand.
It is understood former Bathurst champion Paul Morris played a pivotal role in healing the fractured relationship between Kostecki and the Erebus team.
While Kostecki has since parted ways with Boost Mobile and their outspoken boss Paul Adderton, his car will also return to the grid without the Coca-Cola naming rights sponsorship after the major backers walked away when the champ suddenly quit at the start of the season.
Kostecki will begin his title defence in a new-look car and a whopping 575 points behind series leader and former teammate, now Triple Eight driver, Will Brown.
“I’ve got a little bit of catching up to do but I’m not too bothered,” Kostecki said. “I’ve been working closely with George (Commins, team engineer) and we’ve spent the last three days together.
“I’ve had a few tune-ups from people around the joint that have been very pivotal in my career so far to date.
“I guess it’s like riding a bike, you have a few wobbles then you find your feet. I’m still a little bit behind in the car so I have a few small things to work on for the rest of the day.”
Team boss Barry Ryan said Kostecki had returned in prime shape to resume his racing career.
“It’s just great to see Brodie happy and healthy and ready to go,” Ryan said.
“We’ve got the number one on the car and it’s pretty exciting.
“(Kostecki) has done his homework in the background, he has prepared himself.
“He spent a lot of time with Paul (Morris) at Norwell on his sim (simulator), all the stuff that he does and all the stuff that makes him as good as he is he just does.
“You don’t need to push Brodie, he pushes himself and pushes us hard enough that we don’t need to push him.”
In Kostecki’s absence Brown and Triple Eight teammate Broc Feeney have dominated the Supercars championship while the Erebus driver replacement Todd Hazlewood sits ninth in the standings, ahead of fellow team driver Le Brocq in 12th.
Kostecki is confident he can quickly bring the No.1 car back up the grid where it belongs.
“Anything is possible. So far we’ve had a pretty good day behind the wheel and we will just focus on ourselves like we did last year and see how we end up but I’m pretty confident we will be up towards the front,” he said.