Brodie Kostecki was cleared to rejoin the Bathurst 1000 after a dramatic formation lap incident left him suffering from carbon monoxide exposure and on the verge of blacking out behind the wheel.
The 21 year old was forced to stop the #56 Kostecki Brothers Racing Commodore on Conrod Straight after activating his helmet ventilation system, which inadvertently directed fumes from the cool box into his helmet.
“I flicked my helmet fan on going into Turn 2, just leaving the grid on the out lap, and by The Cutting my eyes were burning straight away,” Kostecki explained.
“We got up the hill and I started losing my breath. I knew something wasn’t right so I turned the helmet fan off, but by that point the whole cabin was full of fumes from the dry ice.
“As soon as it cleared a little bit I stopped the car straight away. I almost blacked out in the car.”
The problem was traced to a plumbing error in the cooling system. Sources indicating that mechanic Benjamin Jones had incorrectly routed the cool box line into the helmet ventilation feed, allowing carbon monoxide rich fumes to be pumped directly into the driver’s helmet when the fan was switched on.
Describing the sensation, Kostecki said the effects were immediate and disorientating.
“You just become completely delirious to what’s going on around you and it’s a frightening feeling,” he said.
“I got out of the car and realised how far I’d driven and I couldn’t even remember parts of it. It was pretty scary, but the medical staff were fantastic.”
Kostecki was taken to the circuit medical centre for evaluation, including a SCAT assessment to ensure there were no lingering neurological symptoms. Cousin Jake Kostecki took the start from pit lane while Super2 driver Kurt Kostecki was placed on standby should a replacement be required.
“I wasn’t 100 percent confident I’d get the green light, but I wanted them to do more than necessary to make sure I was right,” he said.
“They did all the checks and I was fighting fit, 110 percent. We left Jake out there for a double stint just to give me a bit more time, and then I jumped back in.”
Prior to the unscheduled stop, the wildcard entry had climbed as high as fourth position. Although their race later ended prematurely following an incident for Jake, the team regrouped after what could have been a far more serious situation.
Kostecki also credited team manager Rob Crawford for keeping the crew composed across a challenging weekend.
“He did a really good job. We were fighting a few small battles in practice that affected us, but we’ve got those nailed down now and we’ll be better for it,” he said.
The incident underscores how critical correct ventilation routing is in modern touring cars, particularly in endurance events where driver cooling systems are tightly integrated with helmet airflow.
