Erebus boss having 'sleepless nights' over Supercars

Erebus boss Barry Ryan is feeling the pressure after Brodie Kostecki's stunning start to 2023, declaring the team can win the Supercars championship this season.

Kostecki rocketed to the top of the standings after two race wins in his Coca Cola Camaro at the Melbourne Supersprint.

Those victories were the 25-year-old's first in Supercars, with Erebus shaping as a contender in the first season of the Gen3 cars.

Ryan said the pressure was getting to him ahead of the Perth Supersprint, the third round of the season.

"I thought it'd be a relief but it's actually not," Ryan said.

"We've ticked that box now we're going to aim higher, we're gonna win this championship, not just compete and think 'oh, let's take another year to see if we can win a championship', we're gotta win it this year. 

"We're not going to rest on it, so the pressure is on now probably more than ever.

"Even though the workshop is very relaxed, the drivers are relaxed, it's probably me that's been having those sleepless nights, making sure we don't look like fools when we come to Perth and maybe not win. 

"We want to make sure that we don't go up and down the ladder. 

"We want to stay consistently in that top five and that's how you win championships."

Kostecki has a 32-point lead over Walkinshaw Andretti United star Chaz Mostert, with two-time defending champion Shane van Gisbergen 54 points further back.

Van Gisbergen was on the back foot immediately after being disqualified during the season-opener in Newcastle.

The Red Bull Ampol star still managed to win the second race in Newcastle, and backed it up with another victory at the Australian Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, Penrite Racing veteran David Reynolds took out Friday's 90-minute practice session, topping the times ahead of Todd Hazelwood.

Kostecki was third, just 0.1501 seconds behind Reynolds.

"I thought I wasn't going to concentrate for an hour-and-a-half, but it seemed to be alright," Reynolds said.

"The boys have built a fantastic car. The majority of the time we roll out, we can be at the front."

Qualifying will be split over three sessions on Saturday, before the first 42-lap race of the Perth Supersprint gets underway 3.45 pm AWST.

Two races will complete the round on Sunday.