Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!
On the 20 – 22 June was the Betr Darwin Triple Crown held at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin, Northern Territory.
Hidden Valley Raceway was first opened in 1986 and originally was not much more than a dust bowl for small scale events. It would be another 12 years before Supercars started racing at this venue.
Mark Skaife holds the record for the most Supercars race wins at the venue with a total of eight wins.
This event was round 6 of the 2025 Supercars Championship, starting on the Friday. Typical for Darwin, the weather was hot and sunny.
In the pre-race sessions:
- Ryan Wood was fastest in Practice 1
- Andre Heimgartner was fastest in Practice 2
- Broc Feeney was fastest in Qualifying
In Race 17 Broc Feeney started on pole position with Cameron Waters alongside him.
Broc Feeney got the jump off the start line and led into turn 1 for the first of 42 laps.
At turn 1 Jaxson Evans went off the track and sustained such severe damage he couldn’t compete for the remainder of the weekend.
The safety car left the track on lap 7 and the race resumed. Almost immediately Macauley Jones got turned around by Anton de Pasquale. Jones dropped down to 17th. Later Pasquale was issued a 15 second time penalty to be served in the pits.
Further back Ryan Wood and Jack Le Brocq made contact. Ryan Wood’s car was damaged badly. He was in the middle of the pack without “fresh air”. The car quickly overheated and stopped. Le Brocq car lost it’s rear left wheel.
Seconds later Nick Percat made contact with David Reynolds at turn 5. Bryce Fullwood copped a hit while in 6th place. Richie Stanaway had smoke coming out of the left rear of car 62 while in 12th place.
The second safety car was deployed for the 2 cars (Wood and Le Brocq) to be cleared from the track, along with lots of debris left behind. Both cars would not be returning to finish the race.
The restart was on lap 12 and Broc Feeney still had control followed by Cameron Waters and Matt Payne. Brodie Kostecki used an un-sportsman-like bump and pass on Matt Payne. Officials requested he ‘redress’ the position to Payne. Later they also issued him a 5 second time penalty.
Broc Feeney then recorded the fastest lap of the race, 108.093 seconds.
Macauley Jones went off the track at turn 1, dropping him down to 21st place.
In the middle of the race two front runners Matt Payne and Cameron Hill pitted. There were still 12 cars yet to take their stops.
Broc Feeney only had 0.772 second lead.
With 15 laps to go Broc Feeney, Cameron Waters and Brodie Kostecki all pitted. Feeney changed the 2 rear tyres in 2.9 seconds. He returned on track in 6th place with the 5 cars in front yet to pit.
Once the cars took their pit stops Feeney assumed the lead once again.
The front runners were close together and Feeney couldn’t increase and secure his lead.
In the final lap he gave it his all and managed to create an astonishing 1.5+ second gap.
He crossed the finish line 1.727 seconds over Cameron Waters followed by Matt Payne.
It was exciting to the last second.
Race 17 Results:
1st Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
2nd Cameron Waters – Tickford Racing
3rd Matt Payne – Grove Racing
In Race 18 Broc Feeney was on pole position again. Anton de Pasquale was next to him on the front line.
Broc Feeney led into turn 1 for the first of 42 laps followed by Anton de Pasquale. Kai Allen pushed Cameron Waters back a spot to take 3rd. At turn 1 Richie Stanaway was spun around by Matt Payne and dropped to 24th place.
On lap 4 Will Davison in 12th place did the fastest lap of the race so far, 107.968 seconds.
The Hidden Valley Raceway is known for its high speeds. The driving on the day was fast and aggressive.
Before they reached lap 10, the fastest lap record was broken by Broc Feeney, 107.811 seconds. He was still in the lead by 1.214 seconds over Anton de Pasquale.
The first 2 cars to pit were Nick Percat on lap 10 and Richie Stanaway due to steering issues on lap 11.
The first of the front runners to pit was Brodie Kostecki on lap 16 for 4 tyres. He returned to the track in 20th place but there were still 18 cars yet to pit.
By the middle of the race Broc Feeney had increased his lead to 3.9 seconds over Anton de Pasquale. Not an easy task on such a fast track. Pasquale is also known for his fast driving.
The speed and aggression continued but Broc Feeney, Anton de Pasquale and Kai Allen kept hold of the top 3 places.
With 2 laps to go David Reynolds car couldn’t restart after being hit. The safety car was deployed to rescue Reynolds. The race unfortunately finished under safety car conditions (limited to 60km p/h and drivers have to stay in formation).
So at 60km p/h Broc Feeney took his second win for the weekend.
It was tense in those last laps in the hope the safety car would clear off before the end of the race. It would have made for a crazy last dash to the finish line.
Race 18 Results:
1st Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
2nd Anton de Pasquale – Team 18
3rd Kai Allen – Grove Racing
In Race 19 Broc Feeney started on pole position for the 3rd time out of 3 races this weekend. Alongside him was Cameron Hill.
The high speed track took its toll on the drivers and the opening stages of this race were very messy.
Broc Feeney took the lead from the start line and led through turn 1 for the first of 70 laps.
Chaz Mostert had engine issues and started the race from the pit lane because he was worried the car wasn’t going to start on the grid.
At turn 1 of lap 1 Macauley Jones ran very wide and went to the back of the pack. Andre Heimgartner dropped to 10th place.
Soon after Ryan Wood passed Anton de Pasquale for 3rd place.
Broc Feeney had a slender lead of just 0.338 seconds over Jack le Brocq in 2nd place, followed by Ryan Wood.
Cameron Hill had dropped to 7th and was struggling to hold back Will Brown who was up 3 spots in 8th place.
David Reynolds tried avoiding contact with Thomas Randle but couldn’t avoid it, then ran wide and went into the dirt.
A few laps into the race Rylan Gray ran extremely wide at turn 1. He came back on track down in 23rd place behind Chaz Mostert.
Thomas Randle ran wide and dropped spots to Nick Percat, Cooper Murray and Cameron Waters. He was now back in 19th place.
On lap 11 Broc Feeney had a 0.729 second lead over Jack le Brocq.
The pit stop sequence was yet to begin and while Feeney was still out front recorded the fastest lap of the race, 108.030 seconds on lap 12.
The first car to pit in this race was Matt Payne on lap 16. James Courtney followed him in.
Cameron Hill came in to the pits from 4th place returning on track in 22nd place.
Broc Feeney had used the last 5 laps to create a 3.5 second lead over Jack le Brocq.
On lap 26 Will Davison spun James Courtney around, dropping them both to 20th and 22nd place. Will Davison was soon issued a 15 second time penalty for the driving infringement.
In the middle of the race Kai Allen and Chaz Mostert were yet to pit but once they did, Broc Feeney took back the lead.
With 9 laps remaining Broc Feeney was in his stride. He had Matt Payne and Kai Allen behind him with a 42 second lead but was still to take his second mandatory pit stop.
Cameron Waters took a corner wide and spun around losing the left rear wheel. The wheel loss was due to a missed task in his final pit stop. The mistake dropped him down to 21st place.
Feeney took his final stop. He was so far ahead he returned to the track still in the lead with a decent buffer.
Meanwhile, rookie Kai Allen managed to pass Matt Payne for 2nd place.
Noone could catch Broc Feeney. He crossed the finish line leading 7.9 seconds ahead of Kai Allen followed by Matt Payne.
Congratulations to Broc Feeney for 3 wins of 3 races and receiving the Betr Darwin Triple Crown Trophy for 2025.
Race 19 Results:
1st Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
2nd Kai Allen – Grove Racing
3rd Matt Payne – Grove Racing
Broc Feeney’s 3 of 3 wins at the event extended his series lead out to 183 points over Red Bull teammate, Will Brown.
Red Bull Ampol Racing are also at the top of the team’s ladder and lead by 632 points.
The next event is the NTI Townsville 500 on July 11 – 13.
Till then, Keep Revving!
