JACK Le Brocq has spoken of the frightening situation he found himself in during Race 2 of the Melbourne SuperSprint at Albert Park.
Le Brocq suffered an apparent failure on Lap 6 which spat him into the outside wall through the Turn 8 sweeper.
The Matt Stone Racing driver then had to sit in his car as others raced past at high speed despite the Safety Car being called.
Drivers who had already pitted would have been at a significant competitive disadvantage if they slowed despite the yellow flags, as the cars ahead yet to pit dived into the lane.
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But it made for a nightmare scenario for Le Brocq, who was forced to remain in his #34 Truck Assist Camaro despite fears it could catch fire.
“It was pretty full-on to be honest, I didn’t know if the car was going to catch fire, it was quite a big hit,” Le Brocq recounted to V8 Sleuth.
“I actually undid my belts to get out of the car and I started seeing cars come through and I buckled myself back up because cars were coming through there pretty quick.
“Obviously no one hit me but it’s never a nice feeling to be sitting there in that situation.”
The incident lit up social media, with V8 Utes champion and industry figure Damien White leading questions and quickly finding support from Dick Johnson Racing driver Will Davison.
“Do the right thing and slow up for safety, lose 6 positions! I definitely agree,” wrote Davison.
Do the right thing and slow up for safety, lose 6 positions! I definitely agree.
— Will Davison (@will_davison) March 31, 2023
Le Brocq and team owner Matt Stone both admitted they have no exact solution to the Safety Car rules.
“I don’t know how you change that though,” Stone added.
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“The cars that went slower got massively disadvantaged, like Cam (Hill) went slower and he lost a whole heap of spots.”
Stone also noted the team is investigating the cause of the crash, with concerns a loose wheel may have contributed.
He is certain the car will be ready to go for the double dose of qualifying tomorrow morning, however.
“It’s absolutely fixable. There’s a reasonable amount of damage but we’ll get the car out and it should be as good as new,” said Stone.
Le Brocq had been on a run of three straight top 10 finishes to start the season.
“It’s a shame, we have been on a good roll with the team and everyone has been doing a really good job so it’s a shame for the boys, the last thing you want is to damage the car and have to be going through this but we’ll bounce back,” he said.
“We’ve been on a good roll, I’m quite comfortable in the car and everyone is gelling well so we’ll dig deep and bounce back.”
