Kostecki finished third in today’s 200-kilometre Supercars race of the betr Darwin Triple Crown but was absent from the podium celebrations and media commitments.
Instead he was undergoing treatment in the on-site medical centre where he’d been rushed immediately after getting out of his Shell Mustang.
He is understood to have been treated for dehydration by way of a drip before being released back into the care of the team.
“As soon as he jumped out of the car we put him in a medical car and sent him to the medical centre,” explained DJR team manager Tom Moore.
“He just needed some fluids pumped into him and then he’ll have an early night and head back to the hotel.”
Kostecki did suffer a drinks system issue during the race, however Moore believes it is the virus he carried into the weekend that was the primary problem.
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“His water bottle wasn’t flowing as good as we would have hoped,” explained Moore.
“It’s something in his helmet. We checked as soon as the car came back and it’s flowing fine from the car side, so there’s a blockage in his cheek pad somewhere that’s stopped that.
“But I think his condition, as unwell as he’s been, to race like that, I think it’s not unsurprising to see him needing a top up of fluids and to be looked after.”
Moore also paid tribute to the toughness of Kostecki, saying he “thrives in adversity” and highlighting the podium effort as one of the gutsiest performances he’s seen.
“It’s up there,” said Moore. “I’ve seen him under some adverse conditions, whether they’re stuff going on around him in the team or his life, or physically like that, but that’s up there.
“Coupled with where we are at, in Darwin in the heat, that’s definitely pretty tough.
“He wasn’t in a flash way this morning and he’s been looked after throughout the entire day. [Supercars medical delegate] Dr Carl [Le] met him as soon as we got here to make sure he was fine to go.
“So he’s not been put in any danger at any point throughout the day. But to come out of the truck and jump straight in the car and put a performance in like that, it’s pretty inspiring for everyone in the team to see.”
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