Powerhouse Supercars squad Triple Eight today unveiled its 2022 race livery, with light blue trim and white rear wing endplates giving a lighter look to its Red Bull and Ampol-backed Holdens.
As part of the unveiling it was confirmed that teenager Feeney, the reigning Super2 champion, will make his full-time Supercars debut carrying the #88.
Feeney's predecessor Whincup made the #88 famous, although, with a category-high seven titles to his name, spent much if his career with #1 on the window.
“I’m thrilled to finally see Broc’s name alongside #88 on this year’s car, and I’m excited to see him begin his journey with Red Bull Ampol Racing,” said Whincup, now T8's managing director.
“We’re not here to make up the numbers this year, that’s for sure. We have two reigning champions in the seats of our cars, and we once again occupy the first two garages of pitlane, so it’s up to us to work hard as a team and ensure our drivers dig deep and achieve the best results possible in 2022."
Feeney admitted seeing the #88 with his name on it for the first time was a surreal experience.
“The first time I saw the car in the workshop with #88 and ‘Feeney’ on it was pretty surreal," he said.
"It was sitting in the bay that [Whincup's] car usually is in, but to see my name on it and all the partners that Red Bull Ampol Racing represent is pretty cool.
“I knew six months ago that the deal was done, but to finally see my name on the side of the car, and to know we’re only a few weeks away from racing is so exciting.
“It’s pretty busy at the moment juggling all of our pre-season responsibilities, and it’s all very new to me. I’m dealing with a lot of stuff that I normally wouldn’t be, namely media and partner commitments, but my biggest focus is my training so I’m best prepared for when we hit the track in Sydney.”
Reigning Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen will continue to run the #97 this season, as he did in 2017 after winning his first title.
However he will have to work with a new teammate in Feeney, and a new race engineer in Andrew Edwards, due to David Cauchi's move to Grove Racing.
Edwards will form part of an all-new engineering line-up for T8's main game cars, with Feeney's Super2 engineer Martin Short stepping up with the star rookie.
“The team obviously has a new look this year, not only with Broc as our new driver, but we both have new race engineers stepping up which will bring a new dynamic,” said van Gisbergen.
“I’m excited to work with Andrew [Edwards] this year. He’s no doubt a talented race engineer who’s been on my radar, so I think once we get stuck into the first few rounds, we can strengthen our relationship and hopefully get the results we’ll work hard for.”
