- Kostecki will not race for Erebus this Supercars season
- Erebus’ owner and boss have been questioned about the reported rift
- Lifeline 13 11 14, beyond blue 1300 22 4636
Erebus Motorsport boss Barry Ryan has broken down in tears and admitted his family fears he will harm himself over the hate he has received since announcing that reigning Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki will not return this season.
Along with team owner Betty Klimenko, Ryan spoke Friday for the first time since January about the dramatic offseason fallout when Erebus told fans Kostecki would not race in the season-opening Bathurst 500.
Triple Eight Race Engineering team owner Roland Dane had previously claimed a ‘toxic workplace’ was behind the rift between Kostecki and Erebus, while the high-profile departure has led to many social media attacks on the team.
The exact details of why Kostecki is negotiating a departure from Erebus remain a mystery, while there is potential for legal action and the likelihood is that the champion driver will not race at all in 2024.
Barry Ryan got emotional during the interview and admitted his family feared for his well-being following the Brodie Kostecki saga
Team owner Betty Klimenko comforts Ryan as he struggles to compose himself in front of the cameras during the interview
In an emotional interview, Ryan admitted that the constant public attacks on his integrity had taken a toll on him and his family.
“My wife and daughters have to make sure I don’t hurt myself or do something stupid,” he said, through a veil of tears, the hardest part.
“Because there has been so much hate and I’m not that kind of person.
‘I’m not a bully, I don’t do anything but take care of people.
“Through that whole process of this, one of my best friends’ wives passed away. We have been to the intensive care hospitals with him and are trying to support him.”
“It was just hard.”
Klimenko comforted Ryan as he spoke, adding, “Barry, you have a heart of gold. It’s just that they don’t see it.’
Klimenko is pictured (center) during happier days for Erebus. She says the team has rebuilt before and can rebuild again
The real reasons why Brodie Kostecki decided to leave Erebus remain a mystery and he may not race in the Supercars championship at all this season.
Klimenko and Ryan did not comment on the nature of the dispute, leaving a question mark as to whether Kostecki will return to the circuit under the Erebus banner.
‘It is still unknown. We respect Brodie’s privacy and we’ll see what happens over the next two weeks,” Ryan said.
Klimenko added: “It’s not in our hands.”
Ryan said the team is now rebuilding, with endurance driver Todd Hazelwood taking Kostecki’s place at Mount Panorama this weekend, along with new recruit Jack Le Brocq.
‘We always work our way up.’
Endurance specialist Todd Hazelwood has been elevated to the top driver position at Erebus Motorsport
Jack LeBrocq will also race for Erebus Motorsport and will join Hazlewood following Kostecki’s departure
Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen branded the row a ‘sad situation’ for Kostecki, while a number of sponsors – including Coca-Cola, Shaw and Partners and Southern Cross Truck Rentals – also withdrew their support.
“(The record) will be set straight at some point. That’s not what it’s about,” Klimenko said.
“It’s about respecting Brodie’s privacy. We respect the fact that we can’t say anything and just had to take it upon ourselves.
“We had to stand up to the haters… but sometimes in the middle of the night you just can’t let it go.
“When I came in today, I burst into tears on the plane. I just wanted to go home, but then I thought, ‘No, there’s a team waiting for me here.’
“The pain is something that is real.”
The first practice session of the year started at 12.20pm (AEDT) on Friday.
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