REPCO Supercars Championship leader Brodie Kostecki has batted away suggestions he’ll take a conservative approach into the Bathurst 1000.
The 25-year-old driver enters the Great Race with a 155-point championship lead over Shane van Gisbergen amid a breakout season for himself and the Erebus team.
Broc Feeney and Will Brown are also in the title race, 204 and 294 points adrift of Kostecki respectively with just two rounds remaining after Bathurst.
Kostecki appeared to err on the side of caution in the closing stages of last month’s Sandown 500, where he finished second behind Feeney.
However, the Coca-Cola Camaro driver insists he and co-driver David Russell won’t be taking a backwards step at Bathurst.
“I’m here to win on Sunday,” Kostecki said at the circuit on Thursday. “Results at the end of the day is what gets you a championship.
“I’m just going to try and win as many races as I can, and this is one of the biggest races in the world. It’s on my bucket list to win.”
Erebus won the Bathurst 1000 in 2017 with David Reynolds and Luke Youlden, but has yet to take either a drivers’ or teams’ championship title.
Asked what he rates higher out of Bathurst or the championship, Kostecki added: “I’ve never really picked one over the other, I see them as pretty equal.
“Obviously, I’m not going to do anything silly to put me out of the race, I’d like to think, but I really want to win this race.
“It means a lot to our team. It’s one of the biggest races in the world and the biggest in Australia. I want to win it.”
This weekend marks Kostecki’s fifth start in the Bathurst 1000.
He debuted in a wildcard Commodore run by his family’s Kostecki Brothers Racing outfit in 2019, before joining Erebus as a co-driver the following year.
His aggressive driving in the 2020 race, which included a battle with Jamie Whincup in which the Supercars GOAT ended up crashing out, earned him his full-time chance at Erebus.
Kostecki and Russell have been among the strongest contenders during the last two Bathursts, teaming up for third in 2021 and fourth last year.
“It’s been a lot of hard work over the years,” Kostecki added of his rise up the ranks.
“It was just a dream a few years ago for myself to be in the position I am today. I’m really proud of the team around me and myself as well.
“We’ve got a lot of weight on our shoulders. Erebus has never been in this sort of situation before.
“But we’ve really hit our stride. I’m really excited about coming here this weekend and really looking forward to Sunday.”
Opening practice for the Repco Bathurst 1000 will take place on Thursday.
