Supercars 2024: Triple Eight championship leader Will Brown on his title battle ahead of the Gold Coast 500

Will Brown arrived at Triple Eight to replace champion Shane van Gisbergen and now he is in the box seat to claim his maiden Supercars championship. The title leader opens up on the fight ahead of the Gold Coast 500.

Series leader Will Brown has tipped the Supercars title fight to go down to the wire in Adelaide and has vowed to continue to attack at the Gold Coast 500.

In pursuit of his maiden Supercars championship, the Triple Eight driver is in pole position to clinch the crown with just two rounds remaining in the season on the street circuits of Surfers Paradise and Adelaide.

The Toowoomba driver emerged from a strong endurance campaign with a 204-point lead over teammate Broc Feeney.

Ford rival Chaz Mostert is a further 21 points back after his win at the Sandown 500 and third placing at Mount Panorama.

Until this point in the season, Brown had not allowed himself to look beyond his next on-track battle and he said his approach would not change now the title was within reach.

“There is no right or wrong way to think about it,” Brown said.

“I think everyone who would be in my situation would think about it in a different way.

“We have to go out there and race and try and win races at Gold Coast and that’s my attitude.

“I don’t want to do anything silly but I hope I’ve got a fast enough car to try and win races and hopefully I do a good enough job.

Supercars championship leader Will Brown. Picture: Getty Images

“I don’t think anything changes. All season, we have been going, ‘Oh, let’s get through the next (race) and see where we are. Let’s get through Sandown and see where we’re at in the championship, let’s get through Bathurst.’

“Now you think, ‘Let’s get through Gold Coast and we’ll see where we’re at’.

“It’s one of those things where you can’t get ahead of yourself in this game.

“It’s no easy thing to try and win a championship. I have learned that this year even more ... and if I was to win one this year that would be amazing. But we’ve got to wait and see.”

Brown, 26, can seal the championship before the season finale in Adelaide if finishes more than 300 points clear at the end of the Gold Coast round.

However, he expects the title fight to go the distance.

“I would be very surprised if it gets wrapped up at Gold Coast,” Brown said.

“All the top three in the championship have been so consistent this year and the points have been very tight each round.

“I don’t think there is the chance of wrapping it up at Gold Coast unless something were to happen with one of their cars.”

Championship leader Will Brown and co-driver Scott Pye after winning the Sandown 500.

Brown’s closest threat is from the other side of the Triple Eight garage and he said the scenario remained the same – race hard but “don’t run into each other”.

“It’s quite hard because you can’t have the other car ride shotgun when he’s second in the championship,” Brown said.

“Broc is pushing for a championship as well and he has done a fantastic job this year.

“So really it’s just go out there and race and don’t run into each other.

“He has been pushing me all year. I am a big believer in having a really strong teammate.

“I’ve had to work so hard this year to try and stay ahead of him in the championship and I think that’s why we’ve had such a successful year.

“That was the same at Erebus Motorsport last year. There was that bit of competition between me and Brodie (Kostecki), which made us push so hard.”

Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney is Brown’s closest rival in the championship.

Brown arrived at Triple Eight this season as the replacement for triple series champion Shane van Gisbergen after the New Zealander’s move to the US to race in the NASCAR series.

While Brown hasn’t felt any external pressure stepping into van Gisbergen’s seat, he is determined to make sure he can deliver the “same chance to win” as the Kiwi ace.

“Replacing Shane was no small thing,” Brown said.

“I don’t think there was any added pressure from my point of view, from a fans point of view or living up to that from the outside.

“But probably from a team point of view, making sure I could give my mechanics, my engineers, everyone throughout Red Bull Ampol Racing the same chance to win as Shane gave them.

“You don’t want to let them down. So it probably was a step up on that front as in making sure you perform to the level that the team expects.

“Joining a new team, you walk in and you are a bit sheepish at the start.

“You don’t know where you can sit, or what to do, you don’t even know a lot of the people’s names.

“Then throughout the year that just grows and I’ve built some great relationships and friendships already … and feel right at home now.”

Originally published as Supercars 2024: Triple Eight championship leader Will Brown on his title battle ahead of the Gold Coast 500