BROC FEENEY – WHEN YOU’RE HOT, YOU’RE HOT

February 25, 2026
Admin
Supercars
0 Comments

As Broc Feeney strode down the red carpet at the 2026 season opening Dunlop Sydney 500, one could sense a difference.

It was subtle, yet still noticeable.

Perhaps it was the close cropped beard that hinted of a more menacing vibe, or an intensity in his eyes which portrayed a driver prepared to push the limits.

And push he did…

Feeney won the opening night race of the season after an undercut provided valuable track position over the Blanchard Racing pairing of Aaron Cameron and James Golding.

The Blanchard team’s new technical alliance with Triple Eight Racing (albeit with the existing PACE engineered chassis) had brought the small team to the very head of the grid. The race might have ended in a 1-2 for the team had it not been for a slight pitstop ‘bobble’ which handed the smallest of advantages to Feeney and his Red Bull Ampol Racing Ford Mustang.

A weather impacted qualifying and mid race penalty then hampered Feeney’s run to an eventual sixth place finish in race two. That was won by Anton De Pasquale in the Team 18 Dewalt Camaro.

Which brought us to the third and final race of the round.

The earlier races had been held in the relative coolness of the evening, giving teams, cars and drivers some reprieve from the sweltering daytime conditions thus far.

Sunday afforded no such luxury, as Feeney, teammate Will Brown and David Reynolds all encountered cooling system failures during the course of the mid-afternoon race.

As a photographer, just trudging around the circuit with some twenty kilos of camera gear that afternoon was enervating. Thirty-five degree temperatures with close to a ninety percent humidity saw my simple tasks become laboursome under the hot sun and weight of sweat-soaked clothing.

SEE THE FULL GALLERY HERE

Given that predicament, one can scarcely imagine the stifling heat which promised to airfry the Repco Supercar drivers as they sat confined inside an elaborate array of tubular frames and carbon fibre shrouding, wedged into place by an immobilising webbing of harnesses and restraints.

Driver directed airflow systems and cool suits offered some relief to many, but for Broc Feeney it only added to his woes.

The intricate pattern of pipes that threaded around his cool suit malfunctioned, pumping ever warmer fluids and further heat to his fire retardant clothing.

That heat, metaphorically speaking, wasn’t restricted to the driver cabin alone as twenty-year old Kai Allen launched his bid for a maiden Repco Supercars victory from second place on the grid.

Starting from the front row, Allen shepherded pole sitter Feeney towards the pit wall on the run to the opening corner as the pair battled for the lead. The Red Bull driver responded inkind as the duo nudged and scrapped for racing room.

Feeney finally manoeuvred his young rival into a temporary racing ‘checkmate,’ before continuing on with some portion of ascendency.

Whilst the battle between man and machine had swung in the Red Bull Ampol Racing driver’s favour, the physical and mental battle within the cockpit soon became much more than an unwanted distraction.

That temporary truce allowed Feeney the chance to divert some of his attention towards the errant cooling systems for both himself and the #88 Ford Mustang.

Television replays gave credence to Broc’s post-race comments of attempting to rectify the problem as his Ford Mustang trundled down the pit lane for a scheduled stop on Lap 16. A rouge plastic bag that had lodged itself into the front air dam was removed during the stop, though little could be done to do likewise for their driver..

It did bring a momentary respite as a trickle of cooler liquids began to ebb through his cool suit before reverting back to its status quo once more.

It was through these moments of that this steely determination came to the fore.

Broc Feeney pushed aside the physical discomforts; the heat soaked race suit, the pulsating traumas of the warming liquids travelling through the ‘veins’ of his cool suit and the distractions from his own brain warning of the ever increasing threats.

Whilst the likes of us laboured under the sun and sweat, Broc Feeney maintained his composure and intensity as he fought off a second challenge from a resurgent Kai Allen.

And then came the rain, or at least in part.

SEE THE FULL GALLERY HERE

The Safety Car had been dispatched as rain began to fall on the southern section of the circuit. It was an opportune intervention after James Golding’s Cooldrive BRT Mustang lost the left rear near Turn 9 and rolled across the infield before ending on the front straight.

What posed a potential hazard with the uncertainty over running wet tyres on a partly dry track or dry tyres on a partly wet one, was more or less solved behind the Safety Car.

By the time the green flag waved the rain had subsided and Allen went on the attack from the restart. He snared the lead with an audacious move around the outside at Turn 1, though his time at the top was all too brief. Feeney was soon back in control after the Penrite Racing Mustang driver misjudged a damp section of the circuit and ran wide.

Allen wasn’t the only driver to slip up in the greasy conditions, with Turns 4 and 6, glazed with water. The leading duo managed to navigate the section unharmed, but the same could not be said for their immediate pursuers.

Anton De Pasquale became the innocent victim in a passing attempt that went awry for Will Brown. Brown made contact with Brodie Kostecki at the exit of Turn 4, who then slid into the side of De Pasquale, spinning the Race 2 winner and championship leader at the time.

Brown was then collected by the gyrating Camaro and spun towards the Turn 5 grass.

All three managed to continue in the race with Brown receiving a post race time penalty for the incident. Brodie Kostecki was then involved in an incident with Aaron Cameron at Turn 2 on the final lap which also left the Shell V-Power Racing driver with a similar penalty.

Allen regrouped and edged closer to the leader in preparation for another shot at the lead.

Sadly, his challenge was ultimately derailed by a front wheel failure which saw the #26 Penrite Racing Mustang return to the garage.

Matt Payne then took up the gauntlet laid down by teammate Allen and closed to within 2 seconds, but it was a resolute Feeney who maintained a race winning margin to the chequered flag with Cameron Waters finishing third.

The Walkinshaw TPG Racing Toyota Supras of Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood had worked their way into six and seven during the latter stages of the race, but were then promoted to fourth and fifth after post-race penalties, much to the dismay of their Gen Alpha and Z supporters.

There were no signs of the customary burnouts on the cool down lap as Feeney cruised back to the pitlane. Whilst out of the ordinary, it was simply dismissed as a by-product of the delicate bitumen surface and emergency repairs at Turn 9.

It was only when Feeney brought the #88 Red Bull Ampol Racing Ford Mustang to victory lane that he finally succumbed to the distress. Barely able to climb out of his car, Feeney slumped to the ground as his crew worked to cool their driver.

Broc Feeney slumped back against his car, soaked in cool water and draped in cold towels as the television crews interviewed the clearly distressed driver.

Feeney eventually rose and walked slowly to the rather aptly named cooldown room before taking to the stage for the trophy presentations.

“In the first couple of laps I’m like, ‘man, I’m getting heated’,” an exhausted Feeney said post race.

“My body was getting hotter and I could feel the tubes warming up my body.”

“I was playing around with it and then obviously we got the plastic bag in the front, so the car was overheating as well.”

“After the Safety Car I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it worked for about a lap, but after that I had Kai all over me so I couldn’t keep doing it.”

“I did it again on the in-lap and it started cooling me down again. It’s obviously hot here today, I worked hard for that one,” Feeney stated.

“Sorry I’m so cooked but I had nothing left there at the end. Sorry I couldn’t do a burnout for all the Ford fans as well.”

Broc Feeney and Matt Payne share the lead in the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship as they set sights on Albert Park and the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix for Round 2.

SUBSCRIBE TO VELOCITY MAGAZINE

For all our news keep your eyes peeled on the Velocity Magazine website and social media, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for our daily updates and to get the latest edition of our glossy magazine subscribe here from just $55 for 12 months subscription.

GET OUR LATEST ISSUE NUMBER 55 HERE