FIVE THINGS TO WATCH: The Supercars pre-view

The one-and-only pre-season Supercars test kicks off today – and all the cracks have gathered for the fray.

Laps times will be crucial at Sydney Motorsport Park but so, too, will be the way new combinations – and old rivalries – shape up.

Who will be quickest? Who will cut the most laps? Who will find the most comfort in their ride for the races? And who cares?

Everyone cares and everyone will be watching everyone else, while working through their own pre-season program to ensure a fast start to the championship season on Friday.

Here are some of the breaking stories:

5. Richie Stanaway. Everyone knows Stanaway is fast and when the track gets wet then his sublime feel for the road can make him the quickest. But . . .

The 33-year-old New Zealander was highly rated by GT teams in Europe but never achieved the right results, then showed plenty of promise with Tickford Racing as he won in a Super2 car and anchored Cam Waters to victory in the Sandown 500.

But he failed to fire in the main game at Garry Rogers Motorsport and last year ended badly, and early, when he could not gel with the crew at Grove Racing.

Now he is at Premiair Racing and team owner, Peter Xiberras, believes he is giving him everything he needs including veteran engineer Ludo Lacroix.

Now it's all up to Richie ...

4. Erebus. An all-the-way win at Bathurst last year proved the Erebus crew has the right stuff for success. But that was with Brodie Kostecki ...

Now it's up to Jack Le Brocq and young rookie Cooper Murray to get things firing for the Melbourne outfit as Barry Ryan races again down the re-invention road – again.

No-one knows how the new combination will work, or if the drivers will be fighting for wins or battling in the Top 10 pack, but there promises to be plenty to watch and unravel through season 2025.

3. James Courtney. No-one is expecting JC to win the championship in 2025 – but a race win would be a great way to say goodbye.

Courtney arrived in Supercars with huge raps after his mercurial talent took him to the edge of Formula One and he has a series trophy at home for his success with DJR in 2010.

For a time he banked more than $1 million a year and was one of the toughest racers in the series, but he has matured and calmed as he prepares for a life after Supercars as a real estate agent.

But, make no mistake, Courtney still has a burning fire and he will be hoping Blanchard Racing will give him a Ford Mustang to go out on a high.

2. Brown versus Feeney. Last year's Supercars championship was a mate-against-mate battle at Triple Eight, with Will Brown doing a better and more consistent job than Broc Feeney to claim the crown.

So Feeney is out for revenge and Brown is out to defend his top dog status. Can they stay mates?

Their battle has already begun after Feeney claimed pole position for the New Zealand Grand Prix in his first single-seater start, before Brown took the W.

Everything points to an epic rivalry between the two youngsters and Jamie Whincup has the task of ensuring they keep things clean and play the team game.

1. Brodie Kostecki. Can Kostecki drive DJR back to the front of Supercars?

That's the giant question as the 2023 series champion switches to the Queensland team, bringing his engineering partner George Commins and a fresh Erebus chassis with him.

Kostecki has giant skill but it's his racing brain which often gives him the edge, a lot like Shane van Gisbergen.

If it all works as planned, then he will be fighting for the title. But it's a giant question mark . . .