Supercars 2024: Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup on new drivers, life without Shane van Gisbergen
Triple Eight Racing have taken the plunge – and are attacking their first season without all-time great Shane van Gisbergen by taking a giant risk before any rubber hits the road.
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Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup says his new driver pairing is the most exciting on the grid.
However, he acknowledges the “risk” in attacking the team’s first championship without Shane van Gisbergen in nine years with the youngest line-up in the field.
Following triple series champion van Gisbergen’s move to the US to race in NASCAR, Triple Eight will field the most-anticipated new driver combination in Will Brown, 21, and Broc Feeney, 25.
Both are already proven race winners and Supercars great Whincup is excited about Triple Eight’s new look and confident both are equipped to challenge for the championship.
However, he recognises there is some risk.
“We have the most exciting driver line-up we’ve had for a long time and it feels like a fresh beginning,” Whincup said.
“I am confident that both guys have got enough experience to be able to do the job. I wouldn’t have signed Will if I didn’t think that was the case.
“But I recognise that it is a risk. You have to take some risks along the way in any way shape or form in business and in sport to get ahead.
“Time will tell if it is a good decision or a poor one.”
Feeney is entering his third full-time Supercars season, while Brown is embarking on his fourth.
Triple Eight’s new look comes as its chief 2023 rival Erebus Motorsport prepares for the opening round without defending champion Brodie Kostecki on the grid.
Todd Hazelwood will sub for Kostecki at the Bathurst 500 but the champion’s future with the team remains in doubt as he talks with Erebus following a breakdown in relations.
Kostecki’s absence leaves just Mark Winterbottom (2015) and James Courtney (2010) as previous champions on the grid.
Whincup refused to look at Kostecki’s absence as an “advantage” for Triple Eight and said the team wanted to see him on the grid.
“It is unfortunate that Brodie is not out there, we want him out there, so hopefully we can see him back out there as quickly as possible,” Whincup said.
“But we’re not looking at it as an advantage to Triple Eight.
“It’s an unfortunate situation. We don’t wish bad upon any of our opposition, we just focus on our job and trying to beat them.”
Last year it was revealed while the teams were still locked in a fierce championship battle that Brown would be leaving Erebus to join rival Triple Eight as van Gisbergen’s replacement.
The Toowoomba driver secured an early release from the final year of his Erebus deal to make the switch.
“As soon as I heard from SVG that he wanted to go overseas, I created a list and Will was on the top of that list,” Whincup said.
“So I went and hunted down my No.1 before I spoke to anybody else.
“He is young kid, he is exciting, he is just as good off track as he is on track and that’s what I wanted.
“I wanted someone that can grown and learn with us, who is not scared of having a go, and he ticked all those boxes for me.”
Feeney confirmed he was the sport’s rising star when he finished third in the championship with Triple Eight last year in just his second full-time season.
Whincup said Feeney was ahead of schedule in his development.
“Broc is well and truly on target, if not in front of the target,” Whincup said.
“We didn’t expect him to be well inside the top 10 in the first year and he was, and then P3 in the championship last year, which is really impressive.
“But we want to make sure that the learning process continues for him to really make a mark on the championship.
“He needs to make another step and all signs so far is that he has the capability to do that.”
Whincup acknowledged the hole the departure of van Gisbergen left in not just his team but the series as a three-time champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.
However, he said it was important for Supercars teams to back young talent to find the next van Gisbergen.
“SVG decided before the end that he wanted to do something else and we all respect that,” Whincup said.
“He has been a fantastic champion for our sport and we don’t know how big the hole will be.
“But as I always say, the team and the sport are much bigger than any individual.
“So we’ll all carry on no problems and it just puts the emphasis on let’s keep growing the young kids of the sport and let’s all find the next SVG.”
Triple Eight finished runner-up to Erebus in the drivers’ and teams’ championships last season, which Whincup does not want repeated.
“That doesn’t sit well for us,” he said.
“It’s OK for it to happen every now and again but not all the time.
“We were disappointed with the overall result last year and we don’t want that to happen again.
“The shakedown went well, the test day went well and the morale is at an all-time high.
“There is more motivation than we have had for a long time.”
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Originally published as Supercars 2024: Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup on new drivers, life without Shane van Gisbergen
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