Le Brocq Cool & Collected In The Hot Seat...
Despite the additional pressure on Jack Le Brocq as he aims for a spot in the 2026 Supercars Finals at Bathurst, the veteran remains composed. Le Brocq benefited the most from the chaotic AirTouch 500 at The Bend from a Finals perspective, moving into the top 10 before the cut-off race at Bathurst, holding a 62-point lead over Andre Heimgartner in 11th.
However, with only 87 points separating Le Brocq in 10th from James Golding in 14th, his Finals position on the Mountain is not yet secure. The 34-year-old, who recently welcomed his second daughter Piper, is focusing on a straightforward strategy for the Great Race with MSR: simply execute their best race possible.
"It's great to be back in the top 10; now we need to perform at Bathurst," Le Brocq stated. "Given how the points are structured, there are plenty to earn if you finish near the top, and it's so competitive that anyone in contention who does that will be in a strong position. Ultimately, all we can do is control what we can control." Le Brocq has consistently been near the top 10 for Matt Stone Racing, continuing the solid form he showed with the team during the first year of Gen3 regulations in 2023.
Although he hasn't finished higher than fourth this year, a result achieved in the final race of March's Melbourne SuperSprint, the #4 Sherrin Rentals Camaro has placed in the top 10 on 13 occasions, including at The Bend. Qualifying for the Finals would also exorcise the 2025 demons for MSR, after Le Brocq's predecessor, Cameron Hill, missed Finals by just three points despite a strong fifth-place finish at last year's 1000. "It was always the goal since we started preparing for the season," Le Brocq said about the team's aim to make up for their near miss.
"Obviously, the team came really close with Cam Hill last year; I think he missed by only a couple of points. If we make it, it'll be a great bonus. "All we can do is go out there and achieve the best result possible on the day, and if we have a good day, hopefully, it will be enough to get us through." A highlight of Le Brocq's season has been his impressive race pace, with the two-time Supercars race winner advancing from his grid position in 17 of the 29 races held so far.
With 1000km of racing at Bathurst, Le Brocq is confident that his race pace will be advantageous for both himself and co-driver Harri Jones, who excelled at The Bend despite a disrupted preparation. While Le Brocq is still seeking an edge in qualifying, an issue that has plagued the #4 Camaro throughout the season, he's confident that MSR's strong race package will be enough to advance him to the championship battle on the Gold Coast.
"It's such a long day; we saw last year that anything can happen, and The Bend was a really unpredictable race," Le Brocq said. "Our race pace has been strong everywhere we've raced this year, which will be a significant advantage at Bathurst, where you have plenty of time to utilize it. Unfortunately, in qualifying at The Bend, we missed the mark a bit, and it was challenging with all the dirt on the track. It's something we reviewed when we returned, so we can try to position ourselves further up the grid."
Le Brocq enters Bathurst as one of five main contenders for the 10th Finals spot, alongside Heimgartner, Thomas Randle, Jayden Ojeda, and Golding in the core group of five. David Reynolds in 15th is an outside contender.
Comments