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The Erebus CEO and owner took part in an interview with Fox Sports in what was their first significant public response to the Kostecki split that has rocked the sport.
While unable to offer details regarding the split and/or the current contract situation, both Klimenko and Ryan did delve into the emotional toll the saga has taken.
An emotional Ryan even broke down in tears as he discussed the impact of social media commentary regarding the matter, particularly in the light of the recent passing of Dana Wyhoon, wife of his close friend Terry Wyhoon.
“At the end of last year we were on top of the world,” said Ryan.
“Everybody believed in us. To have people decide that they didn’t believe in us anymore, that hurts.
“I’ve got to have the energy to make sure we can rebuild this and do it again, which I have. But yeah it hurts, it definitely hurts. We just want to get back and worry about racing
“The biggest thing for me is my wife and daughter making sure I’m not going to hurt myself or do something silly. Because there’s been so much hate and I’m not that sort of person.
“I’m not a bully. I don’t do anything but care for people. And in the whole process of this I’ve had one of my best mate’s wife pass away. I’ve been in hospitals with him and trying to support him. It’s just been hard.”
Klimenko also outlined how the situation had affected her family.
“The worst was when one of my grandchildren – I don’t know where they read it, but they read it somewhere – said to my son, ‘is grandma a bad lady?’,” she said.
“And that did me in. I just had to go, ‘no, I’m not a bad lady, I’m just not saying anything’.”
When asked if it was frustrating not being able to set the record straight, Klimenko added: “It will be set straight at some point, but that’s not what matters. What matters is that we respect Brodie’s privacy, we respect the fact that we can’t say anything, and we’ve just had to take this on.
“We’ve had to take on the haters and try and let it go. But sometimes in the dead of night you can’t let it go. It affects you. Coming in today I burst into tears on the plane. I wanted to go home.
“But then I thought no, I’ve got a team here waiting for me. I’ve got fans here waiting for me. I’ve got Barry. I’ve got everyone else who are there to protect us. But the hurt is something that its real.”
Klimenko also responded to the role Supercars has played in the matter so far.
“I think Supercars is doing what they are able to do, not what they would like to do,” he said.
“And I respect that. I respect the fact that there’s not much they can do at the moment. But things have to change.”
