Best of the banter – Supercars at COTA

Once again, a variety of Twitch streams and the central radio channel linking all drivers provided some brilliant behind-the-scenes insight into the official virtual Supercars series.

Here are some of our highlights.

Will Power sneaks out for a bit of pre-Shootout practice... much to the enjoyment of Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen and Lando Norris.

SM: No extra practice, thanks Power. In you go mate. Bring her back in champ. Come on mate, in you come.
SVG: Block him at Turn 1.
SM: Copy, I'm going out just to stop him.
SVG: That's saved me from being called a wanker again.
WP: Sorry I had my mic turned off and the spotter said you guys were calling me wankers, so... I was just cleaning the track for you blokes.
LN: Cheers Will, I appreciate that.
WP: Yeah no problem mate.

Nick Percat and Craig Lowndes discuss the merits of having a four-legged friend keeping an eye on things.

NP: "Hey Lowndesy, I see you have your dog engineering you too."
CL: "(laughs) Well you started the trend with the dog."
NP: "Well I don't have a wife or anything hanging out with me, so I've got to have my dog there."

Lee Holdsworth's spotter Thomas Randle thinking he's talking to his driver, when he's actually broadcasting to all drivers.

TR: "Four minutes until the start of the race. Anything else you want to practice? Practice starts?"
Garry Jacobson: "Nah I'm good Randle."
Jake Kostecki: "You can help me if you want."
Van Gisbergen: "Yeah cheers Randle. Any other tips?"
Scott Pye: "Keep up the good work Randle."

Austin Cindric on the Race 1 grid.

"I'm actually terrified right now."

Fabian Coulthard on the first lap of Race 1.

"We're back to the normal bumper cars. Beautiful."

Todd Hazelwood pleads his case to have a black flag removed after a first-lap scuffle with Pye.

TH: "I just got thumped by Pye then I got a black flag."
SP: "Alright mate, no need to dob on me. Jesus."

Jake Kostecki makes his own case to race director James Cowan – and gets some support from Fabian Coulthard.

JK: "Hey James can you clear my black flag? I got smacked into by a couple of people."
JC: "No can do mate."
JK: "What about when Fabian smacked into the back of me at Turn 1? And he said sorry..."
FC: "Yeah I agree, that's fair. If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be in the position he was."

Pye after a late-race run-in with Austin Cindric in the opener.

SP: "That was bad. Sorry Austin."
Coulthard: "Yeah good one. Last lap, reverse grid. I know your method Scott Pye..."
SP: "Nah I think he checked up and I ran into him. Sorry bro."
AC: "That was after he ran me off the track a couple of times, but I still love you."

Will Davison with another classic private Discord/open channel mix-up sitting on the Race 2 grid.

"Yeah, this will be a s**tfight. Anyway, we'll see what happens."

McLaughlin and spotter Richard Harris less than impressed with Chris Pither's first-lap spin in Race 2.

SM: "Far out man."
RH: "Who the hell is car #22?"
SM: "Pither."
RH: "What an idiot."
SM: "Hold the brake, dude."

Spotter Brodie Kostecki gives Anton De Pasquale some advice on passing Pye during the reverse grid race.

BK: "Get a good run, too, if you can. Use an off-track for it. You can't f**k around with Pye. Fire a bullet."
ADP, after the pair rub doors: "He just loves Shane [van Gisbergen] so much, doesn't he."
BK: He does, yeah. He just loves anyone that gives him attention."

Pye, post-race, debriefing the contact between the pair.

"People like Anton... if I hadn't got out of it, Anton would have spun himself. He can not race at all, real life or in the game. Useless."

And then watching a clip of the De Pasquale/Kostecki radio exchange.

"There's a reason you're in [Super2] mate. 'Can't f**k around with Pye'. These guys are just wankers, both of them now. So full of themselves. You f**king play a video game. S**thouse move. I should have just fenced him."

Holdsworth relishes the opportunity to ask 109-time Supercars race winner Lowndes to get out of the way.

LH: "Can you just move out of the way there, Lowndesy?"
CL: "I certainly will."
LH: "I love saying that to you!"

McLaughlin on hearing Waters might be penalised for their Race 3 clash.

"Please. Just let us sort it out here."