Shane van Gisbergen hailed by Supercars teammate Broc Feeney

Teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Broc Feeney. Photo / Getty

Shane van Gisbergen is the flavour of the month with his latest Nascar Cup Series exploits and recently announced departure from Red Bull Ampol Racing, but it’s his teammate Broc Feeney who is focused on the work at hand.

Feeney sits fourth in the Supercars championship, just 13 points behind his three-time championship winning teammate. This season has seen a changing of the guard with three of top four series contenders being relative newcomers to the championship.

“It’s pretty tight in the championship, that’s for sure,” Feeney told the Herald. “It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out over the next few months.”

Feeney showed pace from the time he arrived in the main game but lacked consistency in 2022. This year with the introduction of the new Gen3 car, he and some of his fellow newcomers Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown (first and second in the title race) have come into their own.

“It’s the experience that’s helped. Last year I was rocking up to some tracks I hadn’t been to before,” explains Feeney.

“Lots of other drivers had had years of experience in the old car, but now it’s the same for everyone. It’s a level playing field.”

Feeney believes part of the reason for the success of young drivers is that they haven’t “got stuck in the ways of driving last year’s car”.

“I’ve driven a lot of different cars over the years but when I jump into this one I feel I’ve adapted okay. I hadn’t been driving the old Supercar for years, which also helps.

“It’s great and cool to see the young guys doing well and it’s good for the sport.”

Van Gisbergen may be a polarising character to many, but to Feeney and the team he’s been nothing but a valued member of the squad. The 20-year-old says he has benefitted so much from his time racing alongside van Gisbergen and is grateful for the mentorship the Kiwi has given him.

“Shane has been a massive part of me getting to where I am. Shane has been so open to me and really involved me in the team environment and make me the best racer possible.

“In the team everything is open and we share data to try and make the fastest car. It goes both ways with myself and Shane. Last year it was one-sided with Shane being the quickest 99 per cent of the time.

“He was always open to helping me out and get me up to speed. This year has been awesome as we are both quick and I can push a bit harder.”

The Supercars circus arrive at Tailem Bend this weekend for round eight of the championship and Feeney reckons the track should suit him and the car. The track is one of the newest on the race calendar and should provide some exciting racing.

“I really enjoy The Bend and it’s one of my favourite tracks in Australia. I got my first ever win there.

“I always come in from the first session with a big smile. It will be a challenge with the new cars on a big open track like this one.

“I feel good going into the weekend and I’ve always gone well there as it’s very open and flowing.”