WILL Brown has voiced a desire for further GT3 opportunities after completing his first race weekend as a Triple Eight driver.
Brown, Broc Feeney and Mikaël Grenier combined to finish sixth in yesterday’s Repco Bathurst 12 Hour, a result that left the trio a tad underwhelmed having started on the front row.
Feeney had been the Saturday star, putting the #888 Mercedes-AMG on provisional pole and then managing second in the Top 10 Shootout, pipped only by BMW’s Sheldon van der Linde.
But for Brown, the event more broadly marked the start of his new chapter following six seasons in the Erebus Motorsport fold.
The 12 Hour outing leads straight into Round 1 of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, with Brown to steer his #87 Red Bull Ampol Camaro in the Thrifty Bathurst 500.
“It was a crazy day. The weather made it very exciting, but it probably wasn’t the result we wanted,” he reflected.
“We were running in the top four most of the day, but then a few things didn’t go our way.
“It was a bit of a disappointing end but it was a great way to start off racing with Triple Eight and tick off the first weekend for the year.
“It was great to get a full weekend under my belt in a GT car. I hope that I get more opportunities to jump in for some more time behind the wheel.”
Triple Eight runs a year-round GT3 program, competing in series including GT World Challenge Australia and Asian Le Mans, meaning there could well be chances for Brown.
Feeney meanwhile was left bemused by how the 12 Hour unfolded.
“To be honest, I don’t really know what to say about the day, it is probably one of the weirdest races that I’ve ever been a part of,” he said.
“Sometimes we looked like we were in a great spot and then the next minute you’d be 15th.
“There were a few things that didn’t go our way but there were also some things that did, so it made for a mixed day.
“We copped a little bit of damage with a few hours to go and just struggled a little bit to come back from there.”
The sister Triple Eight Mercedes of Jordan Love/Jamie Whincup/Prince Jefri Ibrahim placed 11th outright and third in the Pro-Am class.
Manthey EMA took victory in both outright (Matt Campbell/Ayhancan Güven/Laurens Vanthoor) and Pro-Am (Harry King/Alessio Picariello/Yasser Shahin).
