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The 2023 Supercars champion playfully attempted to “distract” his former team-mate as Brown was warming up for his Top 10 Shootout lap on the Sunday of the Betr Darwin Triple Crown.
While the Red Bull Ampol Racing driver laughed off the incident in the immediate aftermath, it transpired that team management had lodged a request for investigation.
Kostecki was cleared, thanks in no small part to Brown himself telling the stewards hearing that his hot lap was unaffected by the antics, but Triple Eight Race Engineering Team Principal/co-owner Jamie Whincup defended Dutton’s right to formally complain if he thought a rule had been breached.
Now, Brown himself has done likewise, despite dropping to third position on the starting grid from provisional pole.
“I think Dutto did the right thing,” he said in Red Bull Ampol Racing’s The Quarterly Report (See full episode below).
“You’re not meant to do that in the shootout but it was funny.
“I could see it, I was warming up and I could see him coming. I was like, ‘He’s going to do something funny,’ because we’re mates, it’s the old rivalry between us and Erebus.’
“So, I sort of expected it and I actually had a little giggle to myself and I’m like, ‘Yeah, good on him.’
“Then Dutto came in and said, ‘We’ve put in this report, we’ve got to go to the stewards,’ and I completely understand Dutto’s side, why you’d do that. You’re not meant to be able to do that in a shootout.
“I went into the stewards and I probably could have said different. They’re like, ‘Did he hinder your warm up or anything like that?’ and I said ‘No’ because, at the end of the day, Broc [Feeney] and Brodie outqualified me because they were faster than me on that lap, not because Brodie flashed me in the mirrors or something like that; they just did a better job.
“So, I didn’t think it was deserving of Brodie to get a penalty at all, so I said that in the stewards, but I think that you don’t want that happening in the future because I know what I’d do up there.
“I’d go flat-out on my in lap and be flashing the lights at everyone and trying to hinder their warm up lap.
“So, I think it was a great thing, cool for TV, I enjoyed it, but I think in the future they’ll bring in a rule that stops that from happening.”
Supercars Driving Standards Advisor Craig Baird told Speedcafe he was “surprised” at the request for investigation but did confirm there would be talks as to whether a rule change is needed.
Thus far, there has been no word of any update to the category’s Operations Manual, suggesting any changes will be limited to those suggested by stewards in terms of managing the spacing between cars during the shootout.
“Given that the Drivers of both Cars (and their Authorised Representatives) were agreed that at this circuit the interval between Cars in the TTSO can be too tight, we recommend that the Race Director consider that on short circuits where a TTSO is programmed and when Cars are being released when another Car is on a push lap, the release point be adjusted to mitigate the risk of Cars on a cool down lap catching a car on a preparation lap,” read the official Stewards Decision report, in part.
“We also recommend that the Race Director consider giving an instruction to all Drivers on cool down laps to not be within a specified minimum distance of the Car ahead on its preparation lap.”
Ironically, it was Brown himself who was in hot water when recounting the incident in the post-race press conference, when he absentmindedly joked that Kostecki was a “fuckin’ wanker” on live national television.
For a brief period, he feared being whacked with a $10,000 fine after a conversation with Triple Eight-contracted social media officer, Ainslie McCormick.
“I didn’t even sort of register at the start,” recalled the championship leader.
“I was like, ‘Oh yeah, da-da-da,’ and then Broc’s like, ‘You know it’s on live TV,’ and I’m like, ‘Ohhh, you’re kidding me, I’m going to get, like, a 10k fine.’
“I thought five and then when Ainslie said 10, she got me for a second and I’m like, ‘10’s a lot of money; surely they couldn’t get me for 10.’
“But, it was an accident. I don’t try to swear on TV at all in any way but I also like it when people show a bit of emotion and I think that sport’s getting a bit too mundane in that sort of area, so I don’t think it’s a bad thing.
“But, I also think that’s probably why they didn’t penalise me; they’re probably wanting it to get a little bit more…
“Once I saw they posted it on their Instagram, I’m like, ‘I’m out of it; how good’s this? I’m not going to get a fine.’”
Brown finished that race in second place, having held that spot for the whole way (but for pit stops), with Kostecki a distant third in what was his first podium of a season of which he missed the first two events.
“I was just pretty excited to have Brodie up there and see what he was like to race because I think he’ll be a lot of fun to race this year,” said the former Erebus Motorsport driver.
“I think they’ll get their mojo back a bit now and I was pretty keen for the battle and just see what he tries doing.
“He’s a pretty smart racer and you’ve got to have your wits about you when he’s around you.”
