Brodie Kostecki proud of first Erebus title

Brodie Kostecki admitted he was proud to have given the Erebus Motorsport squad a first Supercars title after securing an unassailable lead following the opening race of the weekend in Adelaide.

Although Kostecki slipped back down the order to sixth in race one after putting his Chevrolet Camaro on pole, he did so because he knew a finish was all that was required after Shane van Gisbergen retired on lap one after collecting the car of Will Brown.

Kostecki becomes the first driver to win the title in the Gen3 era of Supercars and is the first new person to be celebrating a maiden championship since Scott McLaughlin lifted his first title back in 2018.

It also marks the first time a non Ford or Holden driver has emerged on top of the pile in the domestic series since Mark Skaife lifted the Australian Touring Car Championship crown in a Nissan Skyline back in 1992.

“I don’t think it has really sunk in yet,” Kostecki admitted. “You don’t want to win a championship when your other contender is knocked out of the race but it’s been a whirlwind of a year and we’ve worked so hard to do what we’ve done today.

“Betty Klimenko started this venture 13 years ago and for myself to deliver her first championship is something that I will never forget.”

Team owner Klimenko insisted that it was a surreal feeling to have emerged from the season with the title ahead of the might of Triple Eight.

“When people ask if you would rather win Bathurst of the title, I have always said Bathurst because that is obtainable,” she said. “Being a privateer, we didn’t we would be able to go out and win a title but now we have done it. It shows the others that you can do it and don’t need to be factory backed – you can do it on your own.

“They said we couldn’t win the title and I was stupid to go into V8s because I’d be squashed like a bug. I hope my father, mother and brother are all watching from up there and are proud, and I look at all these faces here and think ‘Well done Betty’.”