JACK Le Brocq and Matt Stone Racing remain upbeat about their breakthrough Supercars finals berth, despite bowing out with a whimper on the Gold Coast.
Le Brocq was the ultimate underdog in the finals contingent, riding consistency to punch a playoffs ticket.
But truthfully the #4 Sherrin Rentals Chevrolet never really factored at Surfers Paradise, finishing the two races in 22nd and 21st.
There were some slices of bad luck along the way, including being baulked by Will Brown in Friday qualifying, and sustaining damage in a Sunday startline incident.
Nevertheless, Le Brocq has delivered MSR yet another first – just like he did three years ago in Darwin with the team’s maiden pole and race win.
Pic: Ross Gibb
“It was a tough weekend out there and we had a few unlucky moments, but we kept fighting,” said JLB.
“The big positive is that we’ve already achieved our goal of making the finals, which is something I’m incredibly proud of.
“We’ll take what we can from the weekend, reset and get stuck into Sandown. We’ve had some good runs there before, and we’re definitely hunting to put together a strong couple of rounds to finish the year.”
Team owner Matt Stone said: “It was great to see the speed Zach (Bates) showed throughout the weekend, particularly in qualifying and Saturday’s race. It’s a shame that contact on Lap 1 on Sunday took away the opportunity to see what he could do over the full race, but there are plenty of positives to take from his performance.
“Jack and the #4 crew kept fighting despite a tough Sunday of their own, and we’re proud to have secured our place in the finals.
“We’ll turn our attention to Sandown, regroup quickly and keep pushing hard – we’ve got two big opportunities left this year, and we’re keen to hopefully fill up the trophy cabinet a bit more before the season is out.”
With his points reset, Le Brocq now has been bumped out of the championship’s top 10 by André Heimgartner.