Brodie Kostecki would have to defy history to go back-to-back but one great isn’t ruling him out

History says Brodie Kostecki will have to produce a comeback for the ages if he is to defend his Supercars crown when he returns to the grid. So why isn’t V8 great Mark Skaife counting him out?

Returning champion Brodie Kostecki will have to overhaul the greatest points deficit of the Supercars era if he is to have any chance of defending his crown, but one V8 legend won’t be counting him out.

As he prepares to belatedly launch his title defence with Erebus after missing the opening two rounds of the season, Kostecki will start his 2024 campaign a massive 575 points behind Triple Eight’s championship leader, and former teammate, Will Brown when he returns to the grid in Taupo next week.

But Supercars great Mark Skaife said he would not “count out” Kostecki’s chances of a producing a stunning title comeback, although he acknowledged the tough assignment the star faced in a championship battle he said was Triple Eight’s to lose.

A glance at the Supercars record books has highlighted the job Kostecki has in front of him if he is to reel in his rivals and position himself in the title fight.

Only three times has a driver come from 200 or more points down to win the championship in the Supercars era.

The head start that championship frontrunners Brown, Broc Feeney and Chaz Mostert have had is more than double the gap any driver has previously been able to chase down to win the title.

Skaife said Triple Eight was clearly in the box seat for this year’s crown, but added the high-risk races late in the season had the potential to deliver sizeable championship swings that could present Kostecki with a “big chance” to hunt down his rivals.

There are still 10 rounds and 18 races ahead of the drivers in this year’s championship.

Can he do it again? Picture: Getty Images

“Red Bull have obviously got a great position in the championship and from now on it’s theirs to lose,” Skaife said.

“You would think from now on given how professional they are and what a good job both drivers are doing that they’re going to take a massive amount of beating and I think everyone would agree with that.

“But can Brodie get there? I think if you take it in bite size chunks that you probably can be right back in it if you don’t think about the quantum so much, so think about each weekend.

“If you think about the amount of points available the rest of the year and then work it backwards to let’s just roughly say you need to find 60 points a weekend, you’re not going to get 60 points at the sprint races, but at the enduros you are a big chance.

“There are a lot of races, especially in the closing part of the year, that have got a really high level of risk and reward, certainly from Bathurst onwards. Sandown, Bathurst, Gold Coast and Adelaide have got huge potential for really big championship swings.

Only three times has a driver come from 200 or more points down to win it all. Picture: David Mariuz

“If he is back doing what we know he can do and the team does a really good job, I wouldn’t count them out. It’s a very tough assignment, but you can’t count them out.”

Seven-time Supercars champion, and now Triple Eight team boss Jamie Whincup, produced the series’ greatest title-winning comeback, having trailed Mark Winterbottom by 213 points in round five (of 14) in 2014 before going on to win his sixth crown.

The V8 great also clawed his way back from a deficit of 208 points to Winterbottom in round seven of 2008 to win his maiden championship for Triple Eight.

James Courtney is the other driver to have come back from more than 200 points down to claim the title, having trailed Whincup by 204 points in round four before his 2010 win.

Kostecki led Erebus to its first drivers’ and teams’ championship last year before his shock stand-off with the team emerged on the eve of the season.

The 26-year-old returned behind the wheel of his Erebus Camaro for testing at Winton on Wednesday ahead of his racing comeback next week.

Who will be crowned as Supercars champion this season? Picture: Geoff Colson

Skaife said the consistency that underlined Kostecki’s title-winning campaign last year would help his comeback.

“When he gets his bum back in the chair and he’s back being comfortable again and he’s doing a good job, his consistency will serve him well from last year no doubt,” Skaife said.

“To have Brodie back in the championship and have the champion on the grid is outstanding for everybody.

“It’s been a really difficult period and certainly for someone like Brodie, he’s a competitive guy and he worked so hard last year to win the championship and then for all things to have played out as we have seen, for him not to be on the grid, would have been very difficult for him to deal with.

“To have him back again is fantastic.”

In Kostecki’s absence, Brown and Feeney have won five of the opening six races between them, with Matt Stone Racing’s Nick Percat winning the other.

While commending their strong start, Skaife felt the Bulls had been “gifted” some results at Albert Park.

“Clearly Red Bull have come out and done a great job, all kudos to the team and the drivers for doing a really great job,” Skaife said.

“But the amount of times at the Grand Prix where two leading Fords, for instance, ran into each other or found a way to take themselves out, basically they got some massive free kicks.

“So they have got a lead that no one expected …. they have got a massive lead because so many of their competitors have effectively taken each other out.”

Originally published as Brodie Kostecki would have to defy history to go back-to-back but one great isn’t ruling him out