
The team left Perth determined to understand why. Triple Eight promised Brown and his crew they would “leave no stone unturned” in finding the reason Car #888 had not been fighting for race wins. Days later came the breakthrough: an undersized engine air restrictor was discovered in the Mustang, a component that had remained fitted throughout the season – including the entire Perth weekend – and had negatively affected engine performance.
Suddenly, Perth meant something different. What had felt like another difficult weekend became the catalyst for answers. The discovery finally gave Brown and the #888 crew an explanation – and set the stage for the remarkable turnaround that followed at Queensland Raceway.