Feeney’s Resilience: A Supercars Star Recharged After Championship Heartbreak
The sting of a near-miss championship can linger, and for Supercars driver Broc Feeney, the end of last season in Adelaide was a particularly poignant moment. Despite a statistically dominant campaign – boasting 14 race wins, 19 pole positions, and 20 podium finishes – Feeney found himself on the sidelines of championship glory. His mid-season run was nothing short of spectacular, with 11 victories in 15 races, a performance that in any other year would have secured the title.
However, the introduction of Supercars’ new finals series format for 2025 shifted the landscape, and it was Chaz Mostert who navigated these championship deciders with tactical precision to claim the ultimate prize. The dramatic conclusion in Adelaide saw Feeney in a commanding position to clinch the championship in the final race, only for his hopes to be dashed by a controversial collision with Mostert’s teammate, Ryan Wood.
This turn of events left many fans feeling that Feeney had been unfairly treated by a system designed to inject late-season drama. While the format undoubtedly delivered on its promise of excitement, it came at the cost of what many perceived as a deserved championship for Feeney. The disappointment was palpable, both on and off the track.
Fortunately for Feeney, the immediate aftermath of the season-ender offered a swift antidote to his racing woes. The very next day, he had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car. “I got to drive an F1 car,” he shared with Wide World of Sports at Sydney Motorsport Park, in anticipation of the upcoming season opener. “It was obviously a pretty cool way to put a smile on my face for a couple of hours.”
Following his exhilarating F1 experience at Tailem Bend, Feeney returned to Adelaide for the Supercars’ annual gala ball. This prestigious black-tie event, serving as both a presentation night and an end-of-year celebration, was a stark reminder of the championship he narrowly missed. Understandably, Feeney’s enthusiasm for celebrating was somewhat muted. “I did the gala, and then just sort of got home and just switched off from everything,” he admitted. “I was off socials and all that for a while, went on holidays and just hung out with friends and that. So it was all good, like just took some time off. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the racing scene and to have a break was great.”
A New Season, A Renewed Approach
Despite the significant disappointment of losing the championship in such dramatic fashion, Feeney insists that the experience will not alter his racing philosophy or his overall approach to the upcoming season. “I still think I had the best season, and I was still in the box seat to win the championship. So in an ideal world, I’d do the exact same thing again,” he stated. “Because going into the last race, I was on pole position and had the best shot at winning the championship.”
He elaborated on his strategy, suggesting that while taking calculated risks earlier in the year might be an option, his primary objective remains consistent: “The goal is going to be put a great championship together, win as many races as I can, and come to the end of the year and to be honest, do what we did. We won races in the finals, we were in the box seat again to win.”
Team Shake-Up and Ford’s Return
This off-season has been a period of significant change for Feeney’s Triple Eight team. Fifteen years after their groundbreaking switch from Ford to Holden, the team has now reversed direction, moving from General Motors and the Chevrolet brand back to Ford.
From a driver’s perspective, Feeney notes that the transition hasn’t been a radical departure, at least based on the limited testing conducted so far. The category recently held a brief test session on the shorter configuration of the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit at Eastern Creek, followed by a run on the full grand prix circuit on Thursday night. The true test of the changes will come with the first race of the year on Friday night.
“You get the itch pretty quickly to come back and start racing, and obviously there’s been a lot of change for us so it’s exciting to put that all to the test,” Feeney said. “It feels a little bit different … but it’s not certainly night and day. It’s always hard here at Sydney after you do a few runs – it’s going to feel pretty average on old tyres anyway.”
He remains cautiously optimistic about the team’s prospects. “Overall, it’s been really good, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself until I race it.”
Supercars is set to commence its racing action on Friday with a practice session, followed by qualifying and the season-opening race, which will be held under lights.
