Le Brocq, 32, on Thursday night opted to fly home to be with wife Mackenzie for the impending birth.
Erebus has drafted in Cooper Murray, who is already set to replace Brodie Kostecki full-time in the team next year, to fill in for Le Brocq for the remainder of the weekend.
“Two weeks ago, Betty (Klimenko, team owner) predicted it, and she was saying to me this morning, ‘I told you’,” Ryan told the broadcast.
“We’re a family team, we want to support all the guys in our team. If it was one of the mechanics, he wouldn’t be here.
“Jack is no different. It’s his first child, it’s an experience you’re never going to have again. He can drive a race car all next year and hopefully years to come.
“We pushed him to go home. He didn’t want to, he didn’t want to let us down. But he hasn’t let us down and good luck to him and ‘Kenz.
“Maybe Erebus is a good middle name for a boy or a girl.”
Ryan quipped that Murray had hoped for the call-up. The 23-year-old was set to spend the weekend with the team as an observer, having elected not to race in Super2.
“He was learning a bit yesterday about babies and pregnancy and was like, ‘how can we rush this along?” Ryan said of Murray.
“When I gave him the call at about quarter to 10 last night he was pretty excited and ready to go.
“I think he was prepping for this weekend no matter what, whether he was going to do Super2 or hope that someone got injured or something.
“He’s got the opportunity so he’s getting the seat fit up and he’s ready to go. He’s prepped as good as any driver can be, so we’re not going to tell him to hold back.
“We’re going to tell him to have a go and represent us well.”
Murray will have a single 30-minute practice session from 1:05pm ACDT to prepare ahead of qualifying at 5:30pm ACDT.
The driver underwent a seat fitting and a compulsory Supercars weigh-in this morning, wearing a race suit bearing the name of Le Brocq’s recent co-driver Jayden Ojeda.
“It’s going to be a big session for him, but he’ll get a bit of a race run,” said Ryan.
“It’s just getting his eye back in. He’s been here a couple of times in Porshe and in Super2, so he knows the track.
“Now it’s just learning the car and what the car might and might not do in qualifying, he’s got to get his head around it fast.
“He’s now a professional race car driver so that’s what they’re paid to do.”
Murray has already contested three Supercars events this year as a Triple Eight wildcard and drove Erebus Camaros at a Queensland Raceway ride day following the Gold Coast 500.
Discussion about this post