Supercars: Broc Feeney eyes Surfers Paradise success in crucial championship race
He’s stood on the podium at just about every track on the Supercars calendar but the Surfers Paradise street circuit will be make or break for Broc Feeney’s championship hopes.
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He’s stood on the podium at just about every track on the Supercars calendar but the Surfers Paradise street circuit has not been a happy hunting ground for homegrown title contender Broc Feeney.
The 22 year old enters the penultimate round of the season sitting second in the drivers’ championship - 204 points behind Triple Eight teammate Will Brown and just 21 points ahead of Walkinshaw Andretti ace Chaz Mostert.
A historically strong performer in the final round of the season, Feeney has machinations to snatch the title from his teammate’s grasp on the streets of Adelaide next month but to do that he must first conquer his Gold Coast demons.
“I’ve been pretty lucky to have at least a podium at most tracks but this one certainly hasn’t been good to me the last couple of years,” Feeney told this masthead.
“It does mean a lot to me to win this race, it’s certainly one of the ones I most want to be on the top step (of the podium). It’s the one that I do want to win (the most) at the moment.”
With four races to run the championship is Brown’s to lose. Even if Feeney was to win every race for the remainder of the season, Brown would only need to average a sixth-place finish to clinch the title.
But the concrete canyon has claimed many casualties over the years and one small slip-up could completely alter the landscape of the championship.
“I’m probably not thinking about the championship as much as maybe Will is at the moment. My goal is to just try and win some races to put me back in a position where, when we go to Adelaide I actually have a real chance,” Feeney declared.
“There’s literally zero room for error here. If you give 50mm to the wall you’re not going to be fast.
“That’s why you see everyone come back with battle scars and no mirrors on the car because we’re all pushing as hard as we can.”
In four Surfers Paradise starts Feeney has never finished inside the top 10 just once.
Last year a costly kerb strike cruelled his Saturday qualifying and he was forced to start from 21st. The following day he drove an impressive race to finish eighth after starting 13th following another disappointing qualifying outing.
The past six Gold Coast races have been won by a driver on the front row of the grid.
Given the stakes at play it leaves little margin for error, but Feeney believes being the hunter this weekend will take some of the pressure off.
“I’m not the one at the moment that has to think about it (the championship) as such, I’m just focused on trying to win races which I think is a good spot to be in,” he said.
“There’s still something to lose … but I can also probably take a bit more of a risk. This is one of those tracks where you can really pay the price if you do anything silly.
“I want to hit the ground running this weekend. In past years it’s probably taken me a few practice sessions before I got up to speed. The goal is to roll out and be on it from the first lap or two in practice and really set myself up for a good weekend.
“The goal this weekend is to qualify on the front two rows and from there I can win the race.”
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Originally published as Supercars: Broc Feeney eyes Surfers Paradise success in crucial championship race
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