Despite his passion for everything on two wheels, Broc Feeney is close to one of the biggest tests in Australian motorsport on four – he is replacing Jamie Whincup.
He’s the teenage boy who gets encouraging text messages from Mick Doohan after a race, has Casey Stoner among his buddies and can’t get enough of MotoGP and Supercross action.
No wonder that the aspiring V8 star Broc Feeney describes himself as a “biker at heart”.
Despite his passion for everything on two wheels, Feeney is on the verge of one of the biggest tests in Australian motorsport to four – promoted to the Triple Eight racing seat that will soon be vacated by Supercars GOAT, Jamie Whincup.
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It is an understatement to say they are big shoes.
As a seven-time champion, Whincup has won more Supercars titles than anyone else; is a four-time Bathurst 1000 winner and has pretty much every other record in the V8 book.
For the most dominant team in the starting field.
Feeney may have strong motorsport connections, but is a 19-year-old rookie who really has to test himself outside of the Supercars feeder series Super2, in which he leads this year’s championship for the Triple Eight.
But when Feeney is scared of the job that lies ahead to replace a driver he dominated his childhood – one who will become his boss – he doesn’t show it.
“They are certainly big footsteps and Jamie has done so much for the sport,” said Feeney.
“As a little kid, I always watched him win races and wanted to be like him and be as successful as him.
“So getting into his car and having him as boss next year is a really exciting part of my career.
“He just dominated the sport and so was Triple Eight. It’s crazy just to be involved with this team.
“A few years ago I was sitting on the couch watching races and now I have all of their phone numbers in my contacts.
“It’s pretty crazy to see how quickly things have changed for me.”
But Feeney admits moving up for the team that have won eight of the last 13 Supercars titles and replacing a driver with Whincup credentials is “extra pressure”.
But it won’t be greater than the expectations Feeney already has of himself.
“It’s going up, it’s moving into the biggest car on the grid and you’re representing big brands in Australia,” said Feeney.
“From the outside, the pressure is definitely great.
“But I’ve always said that I don’t put myself under pressure, but I expect a lot from myself and I think it will certainly continue.
“I know that I won’t go in and everything will be sun and roses right in front of the gate, but I know that I have a team behind me that fully supports me and believes in me and believe in me at the end of the day . “
It was a quick climb to a Supercars seat for Feeney, in his sophomore year in the sport’s feeder series, after becoming the youngest ever Super3 series winner in 2019.
FROM TWO TO FOUR WHEELS
But it wasn’t always a racing car career that was attractive.
Feeney grew up with bicycles. His father Paul was a motorcycle racer and then imported and distributed motorcycles when he quit.
A young Feeney rode dirt bikes until he was nine years old. The karting virus that set him on his way to auto racing emerged in the most unlikely places on family vacation at the age of eight.
“We were on vacation in Phuket, Thailand, and I think we went to the rental karts on the first day we got there. We basically spent the rest of the holiday with the rental karts, ”he said.
“I have an older brother and when we got back we went to a come-and-try day that one of our friends had organized on a go-kart track and we absolutely loved it.
“We bought go-karts and they sat in the shed for a while while we went motorcycling again. Then after a few months we made the complete switch to go-karting and I never looked back. “
Feeney credits the motorsport connections he faced from growing up his father as a major influence on his racing career.
“The environment I’ve been in since childhood, with Mick Doohan and Casey Stoner and all these guys … my dad always tried to put into my head, ‘They work so hard and you have to work so hard, if you want to be that good, ‘”said Feeney.
“(Doohan) always text me after races so we keep in touch with these guys and (Mick’s son and F3 driver) Jack (Doohan) and I are very close friends.
“Dad sponsored Casey when he started riding dirt bikes … he helped him a little during his career and we’ve been very close to Casey the whole time.
“He just helped me with a set of golf clubs I got for my birthday, went and let me adjust.
“It’s pretty cool to deal with these people and think about the success they’ve had. It’s cool to have these people in my corner if I ever need anything, I know that they are always there to help me. “
Feeney, a protégé of 2014 Bathurst 1000 winner Paul Morris, who he is credited with for helping him drive, has no regrets about the journey he took on four wheels but will never actually get motorcycles out of the system.
“I can’t say a bad word about my car career so far, I absolutely loved it,” he said.
“I miss the bikes a lot and I still have a lot of friends who ride racing bikes, but I am very happy with the path I have chosen.
“I think I’m a biker at heart. My favorite sports are MotoGP and Supercross. I’m still very involved and hanging out with bike guys, but I’m very happy on four wheels.
“But I feel a little safer in the car.”
NEXT TEST
Feeney will warm up for his jump into the supercars when he teams up with 2005 V8 Champion Russell Ingall in a Triple Eight Wildcard at the Bathurst 1000 next month.
It will be his second attempt at the Great Race after finishing tenth for Tickford Racing with James Courtney last year.
Feeney has predicted the pair – the oldest and youngest driver pair on the grid – could shock some people.
“I’m looking forward to Bathurst, I think we’ll probably shock a few people,” he said.
“We’re a bit underdog at Bathurst, which I think is a good thing.”
Feeney may not have lofty goals for his main game debut next year, but he’ll have the series benchmark in the garage to drive it.
“I currently have the best team-mate, Shane van Gisbergen. He dominates so I know he will be in the lead and I’ll just try to chase him as far as possible, ”Feeney said.
“I know the closer I get to Shane, the higher up the starting grid I’ll go. I don’t have a number yet what I want to do next year, but I won’t stop until I win races and fight for championships.
“I don’t know how long this will take, but I’ll work as hard as possible to make it happen as soon as possible.”
