Supercars is crying out for a new hero after Scott McLaughlin’s exit to America and Jamie Whincup’s imminent move to management.
But Erebus newcomer Will Brown could give it to them.
The exuberant 23-year-old only got better the longer his first season lasted.
After Brown took his first Supercars win last month in Sydney, where he stood on the podium and looked to Whincup and chosen champion Shane van Gisbergen on either side of him, Brown has taken that form to Bathurst.
On Friday, Brown became the youngest driver to take provisional pole position in Mount Panorama for the Great Race.
After securing first place ahead of Saturday’s top 10 shootout, Brown delivered an unforgettable response: “I told (Race Engineer) Tommy (Moore) that I grew some big balls and had a dip out there . “
This is the Commodore driver’s first Bathurst 1000 as main driver, after co-driver between 2018 and 2020.
Brown is making a name for itself as Supercars prepares for a new era with the category to introduce their Gen3 Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaro for the 2023 season.
McLaughlin’s combination of talent and charisma has left a void in the series for Shell V-Power this year after three straight titles.
After the Great Race on Sunday, Whincup will take over the position of Red Bull Ampol boss from the incomparable Roland Dane.
At 32, van Gisbergen is at the end of his career rather than the beginning as he is preparing to become Supercars Champion for the second time.
Teen Broc Feeney is set to step into Whincup’s Red Bull headquarters next year, but he seems up to the daunting task of replacing the most decorated Supercars driver of all time.
Feeney’s wildcard entry in this year’s Bathurst 1000 marks one of the more interesting storylines of the weekend.
He was just three years old when his co-driver Russell Ingall won the championship in 2005 and wasn’t even born when the man they call “Enforcer” secured his Bathurst title in 1995 and 1997.
At the age of 57, Ingall returns to his first Mount Panorama appearance since 2016 when he couldn’t handle Rick Kelly.
