WHEN Erebus started the 2021 Supercars season with a pair of rookie drivers and two new engineers the word potential was used in earnest, but now as the Melbourne outfit heads to Bathurst in NSW's Central West for the season finale the term 'podium contenders' is perhaps more fitting.
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Drivers Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki have enjoyed impressive debut seasons in the main game, going into the Great Race sitting eighth and 10th in the championship respectively.
While a strong run across the four consecutive rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park helped their cause - Erebus one of the teams which best dialled in their set up for the circuit - the rookie duo had proven that they could run at the front of the grid in the first half of the season as well.
Working alongside engineer Tom Moore - who stepped up to full-time duties this season - Brown delivered Erebus its eighth Supercars race win and eighth pole position.
The 23-year-old has notched up 13 top 10 results and when he won race 28 at Sydney Motorsport Park, he became the first Supercars rookie in eight years to claim a chequered flag.
"We're pretty pumped to be sitting eighth, it's definitely exciting and I don't know if we thought that we'd be sitting there," Brown admitted.
"But the team has shown in previous seasons that they can do the job and be in the top 10 in the championship easily, and even the top five, so it was just up to me to do the job."
In Kostecki's case he linked up with George Commins, the engineer lured to Erebus after spending six seasons with Kelly Racing.
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The combination has also proved to be a strong one, Kostecki having 11 top 10 finishes and two podium appearances thus far.
"I think from where we were at the start of the year, having two brand new drivers and sort of a new engineering team, to be sitting eighth and 10th in the championship is pretty cool," he said.
"It comes down to Will and myself to make sure we do our job, but it's definitely a team sport so when we set about racing at the start of the year we all made sure we had the right attitude moving forwards and not to settle for anything less than what we're capable of.
"For me I think it's been a gradual step up, you always improve each time you hit the track, so I've definitely made some leaps forwards with my driving this year and not only have I improved, but the team has improved as well."
While the departure of more experienced duo Dave Reynolds and Anton De Pasquale meant many pundits though season 2021 might be tough for the team, Erebus is on track to finish in the top five in the teams championship for the fifth consecutive year.
Depending on what unfolds at Mount Panorama, Erebus could be in line to match its best teams championship finish as well. The best the outfit has ranked since joining the championship in 2013 was fourth three years ago.
As Kostecki indicated, plenty of the success for Erebus can be put down to the positive mindset shared across the entire team.
But the way that the two rookie drivers have inspired and pushed each other - as well as the respect and friendship they've developed - has been just as important.
"I think me and Brodie have a lot of fun together, we muck around a lot and he's extremely fast, so that pushes us both forward," Brown said.
"Both of us being so close on track makes it so competitive inside the garage, but that doesn't make it a bad environment, we just thrive off each other and push each other forward."