Feeney coy on expectations for 2022 Supercars season

One of the category's worst kept secrets was formalised today, powerhouse squad Triple Eight confirming that the 18-year-old will replace Jamie Whincup ahead of the 2022 season.

The multi-year deal will see Feeney make a sensational full-time debut in a race-winning seat, off the back of just four years of car racing.

While taking over Whincup's seat will inevitably carry some expectation, particularly as the current T8 drivers sit first and second in the points right now, Feeney has stopped short of naming any specific goals next season.

He says his only focus is on avoiding inconsistency as he looks to settle in to Australia's premier racing category.

“To be honest, it’s very hard for me at the moment to put an expectation on [2022]," he said.

"Obviously I haven’t gone up against these guys yet.

“I’ll be racing in the Bathurst 1000 in a wildcard at the end of the year which will be pretty exciting for me to have my first taste against these main game drivers, but the biggest thing for me next year is looking for a consistent year and learning as much as I can.

“I don’t want it to be up and down. I want to learn as much as I can, get some good results on the board and at the end of the day help the team as much as we can.”

When asked if he was in any way daunted by the pressure of taking over the #88, Feeney added: "Not at all. I'm ready for this challenge, I'm looking forward to it. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

Joining T8 also means directly going up against an in-form Shane van Gisbergen, another challenge Feeney is excited to take on.

"I'm looking forward to it, to be honest, because you've got the best baseline in pitlane," he said."You've got the guy that's winning races all of the time.

"If you aim high you don't stop until you get there. So I'll be looking at Shane a lot over the next couple of years and trying to chase him down as much as I can."

Whincup, who will take over as T8 team boss next season, argued that there will be more pressure on the team to perform than there will be on Feeney.

"If anything the pressure is on us to provide him [with] the best car in pitlane," said the seven-time series champion. "And secondly, to provide him with an environment where he can thrive and get the most out of himself.

"If we can do that, then I've got no doubt he's going to be able to show the world what he's capable."

According to outgoing team boss Roland Dane there will be pressure on Feeney and some peaks and troughs in form are to be expected – much like when a largely unproven Whincup joined the team more than 15 years ago.

"There will be high expectations, but he'll place high expectations on himself," said Dane.

"If you look back to the parallel I like to draw with Jamie's first weekend with us in 2006... he won on his first weekend with us in Adelaide, but his season was very much up and down.

"He finished 10th overall in the championship that year. He had some races that were great and some races not so great. That's part of learning.

"Broc knows the cars [and] knows the team. Honestly, I wouldn't be taking him on, and handing him over to Jamie as the future, if I didn't believe he could do the job."

Looking beyond 2022, Feeney says he wants to win titles and make his own name in the sport, rather than aiming for any targets set by his predecessor.

“I’m Broc Feeney; I’m not going to be Jamie Whincup or Shane van Gisbergen, I’m being myself,” he said.

“I want to look back on my career as hopefully a Supercars champion in a few years to come and I’m in the perfect team to do that.

“I know it’s up to me at this stage. I’ve got the best people around me so it’s my job to get the results on the board and hopefully look back on a successful career in a few years to come.”