3 minute read
Reigning Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki has moved on from his legal dispute with Erebus, having delivered the team their second Bathurst 1000 win.
Brodie Kostecki has left his messy off-season fall-out with Erebus behind, believing winning the Bathurst 1000 makes up for everything.
Departing for Dick Johnson Racing next year, Kostecki put together a masterclass at Mount Panorama to give Erebus their second Bathurst win after David Reynolds' 2017 triumph.
It was the fastest Bathurst 1000 of all time, with Kostecki and co-driver Todd Hazelwood accomplishing the feat in five hours, 58 minutes and 3.065 seconds.
The 26-year-old had delivered the motorsport team their maiden championship last year before their fairytale came to a screeching halt in January following a contract dispute.
The nature of the conflict between him and team owners Barry Ryan and Betty Klimenko is still unknown, but the damage was significant.
Kostecki missed the opening two rounds of the season, while major sponsors Coca-Cola, Shaw and Partners and Southern Cross Truck Rentals withdrew their support.
Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen labelled the row a "sad situation" for Kostecki, while former competition powerbroker Roland Dane accused Erebus of being a "toxic workplace".
Kostecki made his return to the sport in Taupo but battled to recapture his 2023 form.
His perfect drive in Sunday's great race was his first win of the season, and in the aftermath of his Bathurst victory Kostecki had told the Channel Seven broadcast: "When you win Bathurst it makes up for everything.''
Fronting the media on Monday on just an hour's sleep after an overnight celebration, Kostecki said the win was an ideal way to say goodbye in his final year at Erebus.
"Definitely. We've always set out to win this race," he said.
"It's a really special feeling. It honestly took probably 30 minutes or so for it to sink in, but to see Todd's emotion when he came in the door and said, 'We won Bathurst' ... just the emotion that I could see on his face was something really special.
"And the whole team around us as well, it was such a big, monumental day.
"We made a few mistakes in the race last year, so to be able to get it this year one year after is pretty special."
Hazelwood, driving in the Chiko Rolls-sponsored Camaro with Kostecki, had set himself the task of finding out how many rolls could fit in the Peter Brock trophy.
"Twelve Chiko Rolls," Hazelwood said on Monday.
"It's quite hard to comprehend what we've actually been able to achieve together. It's every man's dream to achieve the Bathurst 1000.
"Brodie and I dreamed of this as kids growing up. You want to win a great race, but it's very limited people that have actually been able to etch their name into this trophy, so to be put on that list is very special."
It is a career-first Bathurst 1000 win from six attempts for Kostecki and from eight tries for Hazelwood.
Sunday's triumph was also Hazelwood's first Supercars win after the 29-year-old walked away from full-time racing last season.
Hazelwood, who famously cooked sausage sizzles to raise funds for his racing career, was driving for the Blanchard Racing Team and deputised for Kostecki in his absence earlier this year.
