Supercars young-gun targets 2020 12-Hour return

FORMER Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour podium finisher Jack Le Brocq has targeted a return to Australia’s International Endurance race next year.

The 27-year-old from Melbourne currently races for Truck Assist Tekno Racing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, however is broadly tipped to be switching teams next year.

With his Supercars future expected to be locked in soon, Le Brocq has outlined his desire to return to Australia’s International Enduro – a race that helped put him on the national spotlight five years ago.

“I have got great memories of competing in the 12-Hour with Erebus in 2014 and 2015, but of course the podium finish the first year was a highlight,” Le Brocq said.

“It was such a challenging race and we had damage for a lot of it that didn’t help, but somehow we brought it home on the podium. It was the first time I had raced in the 12-hour and it was a pretty special feeling to be up on that podium at the end of the day.

“I’d love to come back and have another go. As a driver I am a lot more experienced now than I was then and I think I can add something to a program looking to have a shot at winning next year.

“The 12-Hour is a special race and globally recognised so I’d love to be back on the grid and we’re working on plans to do that now.”

Then racing for Erebus Motorsport, Le Brocq paired with Greg Crick and Will Davison to finish third outright in the 2014 race, driving a Mercedes-AMG SLS GT3.

The race was notable for the car fending off a charging Shane van Gisbergen in the closing stages despite suffering hefty damage following an earlier incident, delivering the trio an against-the-odds podium finish in a thrilling race.

He then returned to Erebus a year later, Le Brocq qualifying his car 7th before finishing fifth outright with Dean Canto and Richard Muscat in yet another tense finish – one that saw the five cars on the lead lap at the end cross receive the flag virtually line-astern.

He’s the only driver with more than one 12-Hour start to have recorded a top five finish in each attempt at the race.

Le Brocq’s track record outside of the 12-Hour is also impressive, having twice finished the Bathurst 1000 inside the top eight and having finished in four of his five starts in the October classic.

Before that he won the 2012 Australian Formula Ford Championship and several rounds of the 2013 Australian GT Championship, also racing for Erebus.

He won two rounds that season and currently retains the GT3 lap record at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit.

Le Brocq will return to his Truck Assist Racing entry in the next round of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, the Vodafone Gold Coast 600, next week on the Gold Coast.