Championship contender Will Brown’s final Bathurst drive for Erebus has been soured by a big crash that red flagged qualifying on Friday.
Brown, announced as Shane van Gisbergen’s replacement at Red Bull Racing for 2024 and beyond, lasted just minutes in the all-important qualifying session ahead of Saturday’s Top 10 Shootout.
Brown couldn’t get his Erebus Camaro to pull up at turn 2 and slammed into the tyre barrier.
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“For him, immediately to fire in the fence there Will Brown, oh my God!” commentator Mark Skaife said.
“That’s really strange – he’s missed the turning point there.
“It doesn’t look like turning. He’s missed the inside clipping point by so far.
“That really worries me that there’s something wrong with the left hand front. That the tyre’s not got the pressure because it looked like it didn’t turn at all.
“There’s a lot of damage.
“It looks a bit ugly.”
‘I thought about committing there!’ | 00:51
Brown couldn’t get himself out of the tyre wall and needed a tow as everyone headed into pit lane as the recovery began.
“We were just talking about the big name to potentially miss out … Is this over and out?” commentator Chad Neylon said.
“They are not going to give up on this one down at Erebus.
“This could be an all time story for Will Brown and Erebus if they can get this fixed and get him out there for the Shootout.”
In positive news, Brown was able to limp the car back to the pits in positive signs for the steering.
“The most disappointed guy in the whole team right now would be Will Brown,” Brown’s Erebus teammate Jack Perking said.
“He’s just gutted.
“Looked like he’s locked a brake … and a bit of a passenger from there.”
Erebus tops two Bathurst practice rounds | 03:46
Brown’s attempt to get back out into qualifying was boosted by a heavy shunt by youngster Declan Fraser up at Reid Park moments after qualifying recommenced.
Fraser was able to walk out of the Tradie Mustang himself and was driven straight to medical, such was the impact of the contact with the wall.
But with the session again red flagged, it bought more time for Erebus to work on Brown’s Camaro.
And that extra time paid off as Brown was able to return with just over 20 minutes remaining to try and put down a lap good enough to book a Shootout spot.
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