Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Brodie Kostecki had words of wisdom from Supercars icon Dick Johnson in his mind as he roared to an unlikely Bathurst 1000 victory.
Driving the No.17 Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustang, Kostecki claimed the holy grail of Australian motorsport for the second time after passing leader Anton De Pasquale on the last of 161 laps.
De Pasquale’s Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro had simply run out of fuel, with team principal Adrian Burgess admitting there was “an error somewhere in the fuel calculations”.
Triple Eight star Will Brown clinched the Enduro Cup after finishing second with co-driver Scott Pyne, followed by Matt Stone Racing rookie Bates and co-driver Aaron Seton in third.
Three-time Bathurst 1000 winner Johnson and wife Jill were in shock watching Kostecki end the team’s seven-year drought at Mount Panorama.
The 81-year-old Johnson remains one of the nation’s most loved sporting icons, and took an unwanted slice of Bathurst history when his collision with an errant medicine-ball sized rock ended his Bathurst 1000 bid in 1980.
“That’s amazing,” Johnson said holding back tears.
“I tell you what, I want a couple more before I fall off the perch.”
Three-time series champion Scott McLaughlin was the last to win the 1000km epic for Dick Johnson Racing, doing so in 2019 with Alexandre Premat.
“He always comes up with these really great one-liners right at the perfect time,” Kostecki said of Johnson.
“Whether it’s words of wisdom or advice, or just to lighten the room up a bit, it’s always great to have him at the racetrack, himself and Jillie.
“To see the emotion on their face, ultimately those guys put a lot of faith in me to come over to the Shell V-Power Racing Team and bring that famous team back up to the front.
“I’m just so privileged to be driving for Dick Johnson.”
Kostecki reminded the Australian motorsport community of his quality when he doggedly clawed back lost ground following a disastrous pit stop inside the last 40 laps.
His crew had struggled to replace the No.17 Ford Mustang’s brakes and Kostecki tumbled from first to fifth.
He staged an enthralling last duel with Brown for what seemed at the time a podium finish, taking his good mate and podcast co-host to task up the mountain.
“I should have right-hooked him up the hill, shouldn’t I?” Brown joked.
Hazelwood, who won the 2024 Bathurst 1000 with Kostecki for Erebus Motorsport, hailed his partner’s resolve.
“It was pretty tough watching that pit stop unfold,” Hazelwood said.
“But instantly it was just trying to get everyone motivated and hungry again.
“A bit of back-slapping around the garage, going, ‘Come on, we can still get back in the fight with this’.
“We knew Brodie was going to be fast. He was either going to win it or bin it.”
The 2023 series champion, Kostecki sits third in the Supercars series ahead of the opening finals round on the Gold Coast.
Championship leader Matt Payne was fifth with co-driver Will Davison, while second-placed Broc Feeney settled for a sub-par 11th-placed finish with Nick Percat.
