Tag Archives: Mark Winterbottom

Supercars

Century Batteries Ipswich super 440 2026

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

Round 9 of the 2026 Supercars Championship, The Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440 was held on the 21 – 23 August at Queensland Raceway, Ipswich.

This was the final round for the Sprint Cup.

Coming into this event Matt Payne had a 118 point lead over Broc Feeney, so this was primarily a showdown between the two drivers.

Broc Feeney was last year’s Sprint Cup winner and desperate to make up for his loss to Chaz Mostert in the ‘Finals’ at the end of last season. He would also be starting his 150th race in Supercars which is an unbelievable milestone. Congratulations!

The first two races of the event were a short mad sprint of 39 laps, worth 80 points each. The third race was longer, 62 laps and worth 140 points for the winner.

It was assumed that this would be close between the 2 contenders but how close and how tense was yet to be seen.

In Race 26 Matt Payne started on pole position with Brodie Kostecki alongside him.

As the lights went out Brodie Kostecki led into turn 1 for the first of 39 laps. Matt Payne sat in 2nd place, while Will Brown and Chaz Mostert traded 3rd and 4th several times.  

Mostert was unable to break away from Will Brown’s attack so pitted on lap 9 for clear track.

On lap 19 Brodie Kostecki pitted from the race lead and rejoined in 12th place.

Once the drivers ahead took their mandatory stops Brodie Kostecki would assume the number 1 position.

In such a short race it’s difficult for any driver to make a great lead over the others. They tend to stay bunched up and always face risks while attacking or defending.

Over the last 5 or so laps the order didn’t change.

Brodie Kostecki crossed the finish line to take the win.

Matt Payne held 2nd place to earn 74 points.

Kai Allen came in 3rd, but an earlier time penalty applied after the race pushed him off the podium into 5th.

Will Brown took 3rd while his teammate Broc Feeny took 4th earning 67 points.

Payne’s point lead over Feeney was now 125. The Sprint Cup was still up for grabs.

Race 26 results:

1st Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
2nd Matt Payne – Grove Racing
3rd Will Brown – Red Bull Ampol Racing
4th Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
5th Kai Allen – Grove Racing

For Race 27 Matt Payne started in pole position again. Alongside him was Brodie Kostecki.

This time Matt Payne took the lead in the first of the 39 laps.

Will Brown overtook Chaz Mostert for third place.

Matt Payne lost the lead to Brodie Kostecki and shortly after lost another spot to Will Brown.

Broc Feeney rounded out the top 5 places.

In the middle of the race Will Brown, and Anton de Pasquale pitted on lap 19. Broc Feeney followed by James Golding were temporarily left in the lead as the pit cycle began.

Within a few laps Brodie Kostecki was once again in the lead. He ran wide at turn 3 dropping 2 spots to Kai Allen and Matt Payne.

On the following lap 24 Rylan Gray got stuck in the gravel trap and the safety car had to be deployed.

The restart was on lap 30. Kai Allen was in control followed by Matt Payne and Will Brown.

Will Brown was right on the back of Matt Payne for second place. Brodie Kostecki hit Will Brown from behind. This launched Brown forward, and in an effort to avoid hitting Matt Payne in front of him he steered to the outside and ended up taking over.

Zac Bates was spun into a sand trap by Ben Gomersall, and the safety car was deployed again.

Shortly after the race restarted and with only 6 laps remaining, Will Brown took the lead from Kai Allen. Brodie Kostecki took up 2nd place followed by Kai Allen and then Broc Feeney in 4th.

Over the remaining laps Feeney outmatched Kai Allen to take up 3rd place. Kai Allen who held the number 1 spot just a few laps ago was now off the podium.

In the end Will Brown crossed the finish line closely followed by Brodie Kostecki and then Broc Feeney in third place.

Matt Payne came in 6th to earn 53 points against Broc Feeney’s 68 points for 3rd place.

So far Broc Feeney had only gained 8pts on Matt Payne’s lead. There was 110 points difference with only one race left to decide.

Race 27 results:

1st Will Brown – Red Bull Ampol Racing
2nd Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
3rd Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing

After taking his first win in about 12 months in the last race, Will Brown followed up by earning pole position in race 28. Alongside him on the front row of the grid was Broc Feeney.

As the race got underway Broc Feeney took the lead in the first of 62 laps.

On approach to turn 3 Will Brown was side by side with teammate Broc Feeney. As they got closer to the turn, Brown eased off and gave away his driver’s line to Feeney. This was to assist Feeney in his battle with Matt Payne for the Sprint Cup. Brown’s actions were a perfect example of good sportsmanship.

On lap 5 Jackson Walls must have made contact with a barrier or another car and was leaving a smoke trail behind. It was his front guard pushed in against the tyre causing the smoke. Weirdly it stopped over the next lap.

By the end of lap 6 Broc Feeney had a 1.7 second lead over Will Brown in second spot.

The first car to pit was Declan Fraser on lap 11.

The first of the front runners to pit was Kai Allen from 4th place on lap 17.

Broc Feeney pitted from the race lead on lap 21 and returned in 12th place. Once the cars ahead of him took their pit stops, he would resume as leader.

Not long after Chaz Mostert made his first compulsory pit stop, his car slowed down and had to return to the pits. The team soon declared he would not be returning to the track. They would get no points and receive an NC (Not Complete) for the race.

By the middle of the race Broc Feeney was still in the number 1 spot and had worked hard to create a 6.6 seconds lead over Will Brown. Kai Allen was sitting in 3rd place.

Matt Payne who was 5th, began to slow. There was something wrong with his car and he had to go into the pits. Hanging over the team was the big question, “Was he going to be able to complete the race and earn enough points to stay ahead of Feeney to win the Sprint Cup?”.

It seemed like a really long time before the team announce that Matt Payne was unable to return to the race! He earned no points and received an NC.

Now the question everybody was asking was “Could Feeney come 3rd or better to close the 110 point gap to Matt Payne’s total?”. If he did, he would win the Sprint Cup for the second year in a row.

With10 laps remaining Brodie Kostecki had already overtaken Will Brown and was now putting pressure on Broc Feeney. The rest of the pack were a long way behind, about 10 seconds.

Feeney didn’t crack under the pressure and kept his lead. All he needed was a podium finish to win the Sprint Cup but, of course taking the win would be the icing on the cake.

Broc Feeney raced across the finish line with a 1.453 second win over Brodie Kostecki. It was 12 + seconds later that Will Brown led the rest of the pack and take 3rd place.

What a fantastic result for Broc Feeney. He took the race win, which also gave him the Sprint Cup trophy for the second year in a row. In addition, he receives a bonus 25 points towards the finals.

Race 28 Results:

1st Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
2nd Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
3rd Will Brown – Red Bull Ampol Racing

The next event is the Air Touch 500 at the Bend September 11 – 13 2026. It’s the first of the season’s 2 Endurance races. I can’t wait and hope you’ll join me.

Supercars

NTI Townsville 500 2026

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

On the weekend of July 10 – 12 was the NTI Townsville 500, round 7 of the 2026 Supercars championship.

The Townsville street circuit first opened in 2009 and in the same year hosted the inaugural supercars championship event.

Jamie Wincup holds the record of 12 wins at this venue.

This year’s Townsville 500 marked a milestone for Chaz Mostert. He started his 200th race for Walkinshaw TWG Racing.

In Race 20 Brodie Kostecki started on pole position with Cameron Waters alongside him.

As the race went green Cameron Waters led into turns 1 and 2 for the first of 35 laps.

Chaz Mostert jumped 2 spots into second place. Broc Feeney gained 5 places to 13th on the opening lap. Will Brown gained 6 spots and was in 11th place.

Chaz Mostert then dropped 2 positions to Matt Payne and Brodie Kostecki.

The first car to pit in this race was Anton de Pasquale on lap 12.

In the middle of the race Kai Allen was the first out of the front runners to pit. Matt Payne and Chaz Mostert pitted on the following lap. Kai Allen then had the undercut advantage which meant he was able to pass Matt Payne on the track.

As they cycled through the pit stops Matt Payne returned to the front followed by Chaz Mostert.

Towards the end of the race Cameron Waters and Brodie Kostecki (right behind) pushed past Matt Payne to take up positions 1 and 2.

Brodie Kostecki stayed right on Cameron Waters tail and didn’t let up. The leaders were close together and you had the feeling that anything could happen. Brodie Kostecki really fought hard to get the number 1 spot from Waters but just couldn’t find the opportunity.

Cameron Waters crossed the finish line with a 0.2 second win over Brodie Kostecki. Matt Payne followed to take 3rd place 1.365 later.

Race 20 results:

1st Cameron Waters – Tickford Racing
2nd Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
3rd Matt Payne – Grove Racing

In Race 21 Brodie Kostecki started on pole position. Next to him on the front row of the grid was Matt Payne.

Brodie Kostecki got the jump and led into turns 1 and 2 for the first of 68 laps.

Further back in the pack James Golding had smoke coming from the back of his car due to a cut tyre after a lap 1 skirmish. He had to take an early pit stop to have the damage looked at.

Aaron Cameron ran wide at turn 6 on the opening lap. He also had to come into the pits straight away to replace the damaged right rear wheel.

The leader Brodie Kostecki was closely followed by Matt Payne and then Thomas Randle.

On lap 12 Reuben Goodall hit and spun Zac Bates. The stewards gave Reuben Goodall a 15 second time penalty for his actions.

The first of the leaders to pit were Matt Payne and Chaz Mostert on lap 19.

Brodie Kostecki pitted on the next lap. His stop was slowed due to a cross threaded wheel nut. The delay cost him the lead which was now held by Matthew Payne.

By the middle of the race Matt Payne had a 10+ seconds lead over Thomas Randle in second place.

Matt Payne held onto the number 1 spot while Anton de Pasquale and Brodie Kostecki slipped into 2nd and 3rd place.

Matt Payne kept edging ahead and extending his lead. He finally crossed the finish line with a 15.288 second lead over Anton de Pasquale in second place. Brodie Kostecki followed closely to take 3rd.

Race 21 results:

1st Matt Payne – Grove Racing
2nd Anton de Pasquale – Team 18
3rd Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team

In Race 22 Cameron Waters started on pole position with Brodie Kostecki alongside him.

Cameron Waters took the lead in the first of 68 laps.

Macauley Jones hit Ruben Goodall. Macauley Jones’s car was all smashed up at the front and moving slow. Goodall’s car stopped on the track and the safety car was deployed.

The restart was on lap 4. Cameron Waters still had the lead. Ryan Wood was in second place.

Broc Feeney moved up 4 spots up to 8th position.

Brodie Kostecki soon got up the inside of Ryan Wood for second place at turn 2. Moments later Ryan Wood lost another spot to Kai Allen.

In the middle of the race while drivers cycled through their pit stops, Brodie Kostecki held the lead 7.1 seconds clear of Matt Payne in second place.

Towards the end of the race Brodie Kostecki still had the lead followed by Matt Payne. The leaders were spread out and racing at top speeds.

Noone could catch Brodie Kostecki and he crossed the finish line 9.348 seconds ahead of Matt Payne. Cameron Waters came in third 5.457 seconds later. It was a great finish for the weekend.

Race 22 results:

1st Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
2nd Matt Payne – Grove Racing
3rd Cameron Waters – Tickford Racing

The next event is the Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440 on 31 July – 2 August.

Matt Payne will head into the event as the championship leader with Broc Feeney trailing by 92 points.

Supercars

Betr Darwin Triple Crown 2026

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

On the 19th – 21st June 2026 was Round 6 of the Supercars Championship, the Betr Darwin Triple Crown held at Hidden Valley Raceway in the “Top End” (Darwin).

This year was the 30th anniversary of the Betr Darwin Triple Crown and boy it was a good show.

Chaz Mostert hit his own milestone, celebrating his 400th race on Saturday. Congratulations Chaz.

For Race 17 Brodie Kostecki had earned the pole position. Alongside him on the front row was Anton de Pasquale.

As the race went green Brodie Kostecki took the lead for the first of 35 laps.

By turn 5 Cameron Waters had passed Anton de Pasquale for second place.

The first car to pit was Ryan Wood on lap 6.

Brodie Kostecki pitted on lap 8, while Cameron Waters stayed on track to mind the lead spot.

Matt Payne now held 2nd place and Kai Allen was 3rd.

In the middle of the race the rest of the cars cycled through their mandatory pit stops.

Towards the end there was only 1 car remaining to stop, James Golding. Once he did Brodie Kostecki assumed the lead.

Cam Waters was once again in 2nd place, followed by Anton de Pasquale.

With 8 laps remaining the two Grove Racing teammates, Kai Allen and Matt Payne got by Anton de Pasquale for positions 3 and 4.

David Reynolds’ car was overheating. With 2 laps remaining the car couldn’t take any more abuse and stopped in a risky spot of the track. The safety car was deployed for the rescue.

The drivers had to stay in formation behind the safety car and limited to 80km per hour. The leaders were reasonably spread out but now they were queued up and close together.

Ironically David Reynolds managed to get his car going again and was back in the race before the rescue team reached him.

The safety car left the track and it was a 1 lap dash to the checkered flag.

Before the first corner Cameron Waters managed to pass Brodie Kostecki for the number 1 spot. In a flash so did Kai Allen and Matt Payne. Brodie Kostecki was now in 4th place and had lost his podium finish in that single lap.

The 3 leaders crossed that finish line bumper to bumper. It was a very tense way to finish the race.

Race 17 results:

1st Cameron Waters – Tickford Racing
2nd Kai Allen – Grove Racing
3rd Matt Payne – Grove Racing

In Race 18 Cameron Waters started on pole position with Brodie Kostecki alongside him.

Cameron Waters took the lead from the start in the first of 70 laps.

Brodie Kostecki held second place. Broc Feeney had moved up from his start in 6th place but then dropped back to 5th place. He was still 1 spot up from his start position.

As the starting laps melted away in the Top End, Matt Payne got around Brodie Kostecki for 2nd position.

Behind the scenes, Matt Payne was being investigated for jumping the gun at the start. The officials reviewed footage and issued him with a 5 second time penalty. The penalty would have to be served in one of the 2 mandatory pit stops.

Soon after the first 10 laps Ryan Wood ran wide at turn 1 dropping oil on the track. His teammate Chaz Mostert was up ahead in 4th place. As he came around on the next lap he slid on the oil and ran wide. This dropped him from 4th down to 14th place.

Ryan Wood was already in the garage trying to work out his power steering issue.

Matt Payne was the first to pit on lap 20. It was still early in the race, so he chose to serve his 5 second penalty at this stop rather than later.

In the middle of the race Cameron Waters was still leading.

Waters was wide at one turn with Kai Allen approaching on the inside. Waters drove across Kai Allen’s car as they came through the turn. The blocking move is considered bad driving form and called “moving under brakes”. If the stewards issued him with a penalty, his lead would be at risk. In the end they only issued a warning.

Soon enough Cameron Waters folded to Kai Allen’s attacks and Kai Allen became the new leader.

Towards the end of the race Kai Allen had a 7.5 second lead over Cameron Waters.

In the end Kai Allen crossed the finish line with an 8.8 second win over Cameron Waters. It was 9.3 seconds back to Brodie Kostecki in 3rd place. Although they were spread out it was an exciting race to watch.

Race 18 Results:

1st Kai Allen – Grove Racing
2nd Cameron Waters – Tickford Racing
3rd Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team

EOS 11

In Race 19 Cameron Waters started on pole position with Matt Payne alongside him.

There were 2 drivers, Thomas Randle and Brodie Kostecki who had cool suit failures in race 18 and suffered heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Luckily legend Mark Winterbottom, currently acting as commentator was able to step in and substitute for Thomas Randle.

Another driving legend, Todd Hazelwood was in the area racing in the Trans AM competition. He was only too willing to help out his old mate Kostecki.

As the lights went out Cameron Waters got the jump and led into turn 1 for the first of 70 laps. Matt Payne was right behind him in second place.

Todd Hazelwood was the first to take a pit stop on lap 12.

Around the middle of the race Anton de Pasquale was in the lead with a gap of around 3 seconds. Matt Payne passed Cameron Waters for second place. Broc Feeney was 3.3 seconds back in 4th place.

Matt Payne was constantly putting Anton de Pasquale under pressure for the leading spot. Surprisingly Pasquale held his nerve.

With 4 laps to go Chaz Mostert in 7th place had an engine failure. The safety car was sent out to manage the drivers while Mostert was rescued.

Unfortunately, the last 3 laps were under safety conditions (driving behind the safety car, staying in formation and limited to 80kms p/h) so it wasn’t a challenging finish.

Anton de Pasquale took his 2nd win for the year. Matt Payne was in 2nd place followed by Cameron Waters.

Race 19 results:

1st Anton de Pasquale – Team 18
2nd Matt Payne – Grove Racing
3rd Cameron Waters – Tickford Racing

Cameron Waters won the Darwin Triple Crown for 2026.

The next event is the NTI Townsville 500 10 – 12 July.

Supercars

ITM Christchurch super 440 2026

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

Round 4 of the 2026 Supercars Championship was the ITM Christchurch Super 440 held on April 17 – 19.

This is the first time that Ruapuna Park (currently sponsored as Euromarque Motorsport Park) was host to a V8 Supercars event. It lies on the outskirts of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island. The track is configured with 7 routes ranging from 1.19kms to 3.38kms. Supercars used the ‘Grand Prix’ 3.33kms circuit that includes 11 turns.

The event started with Race 10 which was supposed to be run the week before at the Taupo Super 440, but because of the approaching cyclone it was cancelled and rescheduled to this event.

Matt Payne started on pole position with Brodie Kostecki alongside him.

Brodie Kostecki took the lead in the first of the 37 lap race.

It was a special occasion for David Reynolds, his 500th race start. From P18 on the grid he stalled at the start line. The cars behind tried to take evasive action but ended up crashing into him and each other. Reynolds’ car was a mess and dragged into the garage. It must have been bad because he didn’t return to the track and received an NC (Not Complete) before even moving. I bet this was not the way he expected his 500th race to go.

Meanwhile back at the front of the pack, Ryan Wood took second place off Matt Payne. Kai Allen was in third.

As the others settled into the race, Cameron Hill’s car had fallen to the back of the pack with smoke coming from the right front. Cameron Hill was one of the victims involved in the start line pile up with Reynolds. He only made it to lap 5 before having to bail out of the race and became the second driver to get an NC.

The first car to pit was Aaron Cameron on lap 13 from 21st place.

The first of the leaders to pit was Kai Allen from 3rd place on lap 17. He came back out on track in 14th position.

In the middle of the race Brodie Kostecki still had the lead. Ryan Wood trailed by 1.967 seconds in 2nd place.

Matt Payne and Ryan Wood then pitted together. They rejoined in 8th and 10th position.

The leader Brodie Kostecki was one of 7 cars still yet to pit. Once those cars pitted it left Kai Allen in the lead.

This is Kai Allen’s second season in V8 Supercars. He handled the lead with skill beyond his years.

Brodie Kostecki and Ryan Wood made their way to the front of the pack to take 2nd and 3rd place. They were close behind Kai Allen in the lead but he managed to hold them off for the remaining laps.

The checkered flag waved Kai Allen crossed the finish line with Brodie Kostecki on his tail with only 0.742 of a second between them. Ryan Wood crowded them in 3rd place 0.444 seconds later. That was a tight finish.

Kai Allen became the 89th Supercars winner in the history of the sport. Congratulations Kai!

Race 10 Results:

1st Kai Allen – Grove Racing
2nd Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
3rd Ryan Wood – Walkinshaw TWG Racing

In Race 11 Brodie Kostecki started on pole position with Matt Payne alongside him.

Brodie Kostecki took the lead in the first of 37 laps. Kai Allen who was 4th on the start grid had a fantastic launch and jumped into 2nd place.

By the end of the first lap Ryan Wood who started 6th on the grid was up to 3rd place. Broc Feeney was up 1 spot and in 4th.

A few laps in Matt Payne was fighting his way back and took 4th place from Broc Feeney.

On lap 5 Cameron Hill was called into the pits after being hit by David Reynolds. David Reynolds was issued a 15 second time penalty. Andre Heimgartner also pitted for damage repairs.

The front runners were tightly packed with Brodie Kostecki still in the lead and Kai Allen right behind him. Matt Payne gained another spot into 3rd place.

On lap 11 Anton de Pasquale was the first to take an unforced pit stop.

In the middle of the race Matt Payne became the leader while Kostecki and Allen were pitting.  Payne and 9 other cars were yet to pit. The pit lane started getting busy.

James Golding spun on his pit entry. Macauley Jones came in and had to go around him.

Once all the pit stops were taken Brodie Kostecki was once again in the lead. Kai Allen was challenging him for the lead, but Brodie Kostecki fought him off.

EOS 10

The leaders were still tightly packed as they reached the last laps of the race.

Matt Payne who had managed to stay in 3rd place had a loose wheel nut. Sure enough the wheel came off and went rolling down the track on its own. His podium finish was decimated. He hobbled on the remaining 3 wheels back to the pits for a replacement. He returned on track in 22nd place.

Matt Payne’s exit from 3rd left a gap in the field easing the pressure on front runners. Brodie Kostecki was flying and Kai Allen could only just keep up. There was no time left to put in a challenge.

Kostecki crossed the finish line a mere 0.598 seconds ahead of Kai Allen. 8+ seconds later Ryan Wood took 3rd.

Race 11 Results:

1st Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
2nd Kai Allen – Grove Racing
3rd Ryan Wood – Walkinshaw TWG Racing

In Race 12 Ryan Wood started on pole position with Matt Payne alongside him on the front row of the grid.

Matt Payne took the lead off the start line. Ryan Wood was right on his bumper.

By the end of the 1st lap Broc Feeney moved up from 6th to 3rd. Brodie Kostecki was in 4th place.

Cars started pitting on lap 13. The first 2 were Anton de Pasquale and Cameron Hill.

Aaron Cameron received a time penalty for spinning Cooper Murray. Murray dropped from 10th to 16th.

By the middle of the race Matt Payne had a 12+ second lead.

Inside the top 10, Declan Fraser received a 5 second penalty for ramming Macauley Jones.

After all cars had pitted and reaching the end of the race, Matt Payne lead by 4.5 seconds. Ryan Wood was 2nd. Broc Feeney was right behind him.

With patience, Broc Feeney eventually managed to get by Ryan Wood for second place.

Matt Payne had a clear track and used it well to build a bigger lead. Broc Feeney was desperately chasing him but the gap kept growing wider.

Matt Payne was in “The Zone” and crossed the finish line with an amazing 11.643 second win over Broc Feeney. 2.5+ seconds later James Golding took 3rd place.

Race 12 Results:

1st Matt Payne – Grove Racing
2nd Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
3rd James Golding – Blanchard Racing Team

In Race 13 Matt Payne started on pole position for the 2nd time this weekend. On the front row next to him was Anton de Pasquale.

As the green flag waved Matt Payne got the jump and led into turns 1 and 2 for the first of 61 laps. Will Brown went up to second place. Kai Allen went up 3 places to third.

Jackson Walls and Rylan Gray made contact and both spun off the track. In the process Aaron Cameron also made contact with them. Rylan Gray struggled to get his car refired and was stuck on the grass. Aaron Cameron had smoke coming from the left rear corner of car 3.

Seconds later and just before the safety car was deployed, Ryan Wood made contact with Anton de Pasquale, pushing him off the track. Pasquale was in 4th and dropped to 9th place.

The safety car was deployed to clean up the track and move Rylan Gray’s car.

The officials investigated the Rylan Gray and Jackson Walls incident but no penalties were issued.

On lap 8 both Red Bull Ampol Racing drivers, Will Brown and Broc Feeney had radio communication issues. The team had to resort to the old fashioned pit board to message the drivers.

The first car to pit was Jayden Ojeda on lap 8.

The first of the leaders to pit was Anton de Pasquale on lap 9. The gap between Matt Payne and Will Brown (now in second place) was 5.066 seconds.

Rylan Gray and Aaron Cameron were still in the garage getting repairs done and had not returned to the track yet.

Matt Pa yne pitted from the race lead with 4 other cars yet to stop.

With 11 laps to go everybody had completed their second mandatory pit stops. Matt Payne still had the lead and was 7.1 seconds ahead of Kai Allen.

With 7 laps remaining Ryan Wood stopped on the pit straight. The safety car was deployed and Wood’s chance at claiming the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy for the event was crushed.

Matt Payne’s lead was also negated by the safety car requiring drivers to stay behind in formation at 80km p/h.

On the restart Kai Allen followed Matt Payne. Kai Allen was instructed not to attack his teammate and let him ride out the last laps.

Brodie Kostecki and Broc Feeney were tied on points for the event’s Jason Richards Memorial Trophy. Chaz Mostert made contact with Brodie Kostecki and others had to take evasive action to avoid a collision. With only 2 laps remaining Kostecki would finish after Feeney. Feeney would get the trophy. Chaz Mostert received a 30 second penalty for causing the incident.

EOS 17

The leaders held their places and Matt Payne crossed the finish line 1.126 seconds ahead of teammate Kai Allen. 0.938 seconds later Broc Feeney came in to take third place.

Not only did Broc Feeney win the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, he also regained the series lead by 23 points and leads the ‘spint’ cup.

The Red Bull Ampol Racing Team lead the Teams Championship.

Race 13 Results:

1st Matt Payne – Grove Racing
2nd Kai Allen – Grove Racing
3rd Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing

The next event is the Tyrepower Tasmania Super 440 on May 22 – 24.

Supercars

ITM Taupo Super 440 2026

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans Around the world!

On the weekend of April 10-12 was the ITM Taupo Super 440, round 3 of the 2026 Supercars championship. It was held at Taupo on the North Island of New Zealand.

Brodie Kostecki headed into the weekend as the series leader by 28 points over Cameron Waters.

David Reynolds reached a milestone at this event, starting his 500th race in Supercars. What an Achievement! Congratulations David.

The Taupo Super 440 had 3 races scheduled but by Saturday afternoon the weather warning for cyclone Vaianu heading directly to the area was received. The 3rd race set to run on Sunday was cancelled. A sensible thing to do but disappointing for the fans, nonetheless. Mind you, if they had to, most supercars fans would stand trackside through a cyclone in their undies if it wasn’t cancelled.

In the pre-race sessions:

  • Jack le Brocq was fastest in Practice 1
  • Ryan Wood was fastest in Practice 2
  • Brodie Kostecki was fastest in Qualifying

In Race 8 Brodie Kostecki started on pole position with Broc Feeney alongside him.

As they took off Brodie Kostecki got the jump and led into turn 1 for the first of 37 laps. Broc Feeney tried to go around him at the first turn but realised it would ruin his approach to turn 2. It was a good attempt, but he had to pull back in the last second.

Kai Allen made contact with Rayan Wood just after turn 1. Allen lost 5 places and was down to 11th. Wood only dropped a single spot to 7th.

At turn 11 Kai Allen was getting into more trouble. He made contact with Aaraon Cameron causing him to spin and drop from 11th to 16th. His car was looking pretty shabby with the rear bumper hanging off.

Although still early in the race Kai Allen had to head to the pits to deal with the damage sustained.

By the middle of the race there were only 7 cars that were still yet to pit. Once they did Brodie Kostecki assumed the number 1 spot.

On lap 23 Broc Feeney recorded the fastest lap of the race, 129.330 seconds.

His teammate Will Brown had moved ahead of him to 2nd place while Chaz Mostert held 3rd. Feeney desperately wanted his spot back.

Broc Feeney battled with Chaz Mostert and eventually got past. Mostert then lost another spot to his own teammate, Ryan Wood. There were only 8 laps to go.

It wasn’t long before Ryan Wood took over Broc Feeney.

With 5 laps to go the leaders were spread out. Brodie Kostecki had a 4.1 second lead over Will Brown. Ryan Wood was another 5.1 seconds behind.

Somehow, Brodie Kostecki increased his lead and crossed the finish line with a 16.185 second win over Will Brown. Ryan Wood was only 0.347 seconds behind in third. Broc Feeney had fallen 6.914 seconds back into 4th place.

Race 8 results:

1st Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
2nd Will Brown – Red Bull Ampol Racing
3rd Ryan Wood – Truck Assist Racing

In Race 9 Ryan Wood started on pole position, alongside him was Will Brown.

Ryan Wood took the lead from the start line for the 1st of 60 laps.

At the front of the pack and still on the first lap James Golding was forced out wide by Chaz Mostert.

Leader Ryan Wood was followed by Will Brown, Broc Feeney, James Golding and then Chaz Mostert. Before the end of the lap Matt Payne overtook Chaz Mostert for 5th place.

The first car to pit was David Reynolds on lap 15.

Will Brown closed in on Ryan Wood for the race lead and was only 0.618 seconds behind.

Around lap 23 Broc Feeney pitted from second place. He rejoined in 8th place right behind Chaz Mostert in 7th. There were only 2 cars yet to pit, Brodie Kostecki and James Golding

When Brodie Kostecki finally pitted Ryan Wood assumed position number 1.

By the middle of the race Ryan Wood still had the lead with Will Brown trailing by 2.6 seconds.

Ryan Wood had to pit on lap 43 and Matt Payne followed him in for the second round of stops. Ryan Wood came back out in 8th place.

Towards the end of the end of the race Chaz Mostert had the lead and was followed by teammate Ryan Wood. Chaz Mostert is a fast and experienced driver. He could have easily defended his lead but instead chose to let Ryan Wood through and act as his guard.

With 9 laps left there was only 0.396 seconds between Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood. Broc Feeney was a further 4.292 seconds behind in third place but closing in fast.

Jackson Walls was in the garage with a broken right front suspension. The repair took too long and he never made it back out to the track. He was the only one to receive an NC (Not Complete).

Broc Feeney kept closing in on the leaders. Pretty soon he made a surprising pass on Mostert in 2nd place.

There were only a few laps remaining. I was wondering of Broc Feeney was going to catch the lead from Wood or was Chaz Mostert going to reclaim 2nd position from Feeney.

Ryan Wood had a few seconds lead and didn’t let it slip.

In the end Ryan Wood crossed the finish line with a 3.036 second win over Broc Feeney in second place. Chaz Mostert came in 3rd 2.476 seconds later.

Race 9 results:

1st Ryan Wood – TWG Racing
2nd Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
3rd Chaz Mostert – TWG Racing

Ryan Wood will go down in history as the first one to take a win for Toyota in Supercars.

The next event is the ITM Christchurch Super 440 on Apr 17 – 19 2026.

I hope you will all join me.

Supercars

Melbourne Supersprint 2026 Albert Park

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

On the weekend of March 5 – 8 was the 2026 Melbourne SuperSprint. It was round 2 of the Supercars Championship and held at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne Victoria.

It has been run as a support category to the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix since 1996 and is a massive event that takes over the city of Melbourne. The attendance across the 4 day event was just over 480,000.

Supercars squeeze 4 sprint races between the main F1 activities. The first 3 races were 19 laps and the 4th was 14 laps.

It’s fast and furious. The only strategy is speed!

In Race 4 Brodie Kostecki started on pole position with James Golding alongside him.

Brodie Kostecki took the lead from the start line followed by Broc Feeney, James Golding and Matt Payne.

Before the lap was over Matt Payne passed Golding and then Feeney.

On lap 7 Jackson Walls spun off the track and was stuck in the gravel pit. The race went into “yellow” and the safety car was deployed to rescue him.

The restart was on lap 10 with Brodie Kostecki still holding the lead.

In the remaining laps Broc Feeney recorded the fastest time, 149.054 seconds in his chase of Payne and Kostecki. The top 3 drivers were bumper to bumper in the high speed race to the finish line.

Kostecki securely held his number 1 spot but Matt Payne and Broc Feeney swapped between 2nd and 3rd a number of times. It was incredibly tense as they risked everything to gain the advantage.

Brodie Kostecki crossed the finish line a mere 0.468 seconds ahead of Matt Payne. Broc Feeney followed through 2.513 seconds behind in third place.

Race 4 Results:

1st Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
2nd Matt Payne – Grove Racing
3rd Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing

In Race 5 Matt Payne had pole position on the start grid. Brodie Kostecki was alongside him.

As the race went green Matt Payne took the lead. Brodie Kostecki was in 2nd place followed by Ryan Wood, Chaz Mostert and Broc Feeney.

Further back in the field Zach Bates and Macauley Jones were spun at turn 3 sending them to the back of the pack.

At turn 11 Will Brown made contact with Cooper Murray and put him in the sand pit. Brown was to blame and issued a 15 second time penalty. In a short 19 lap race without mandatory pitstops Brown had the penalty added to his finish time.

Before the end of lap 1 Brodie Kostecki managed to take the lead off Matt Payne.

Brodie Kostecki was continuously chased by Matt Payne but defended his position. Payne could not find any opportunity to overtake but never gave up.

The rest of the pack fell further back as the two leaders battled.

Brodie Kostecki crossed the finish line to take the win. Matt Payne followed to take 2nd place 0.572 seconds behind. It seemed like an eternity before Ryan Wood crossed the finish line to take 3rd place. The final results revealed it was 11.981 seconds later.

 Race 5 Results:

1st Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
2nd Matt Payne – Grove Racing
3rd Ryan Wood – Truck Assist Racing

In Race 6 Broc Feeney started on pole position. Aaron Cameron was alongside him in P2.

As the lights went out Broc Feeney got the jump and took the lead. He was followed closely by Aaron Cameron and Brodie Kostecki.

Matt Payne and James Golding made contact at turn 2. Golding received damage and had to pit ASAP. Payne was forced off the track and down an escape road. The safety car was deployed. It was soon revealed Matt Payne’s car had a triple puncture and would not return to the track.

Matt Payne received an NC (Not Complete) for the race and earned no points. It would surely mean he would drop from the number 1 spot on the championship ladder. It was a devastating outcome.

Before the 1st lap was complete the safety car was deployed again. This time to rescue Cooper Murray out of the sand trap.

The restart was on lap 6 with Broc Feeney in the lead followed by Aaron Cameron and Brodie Kostecki.

After winning the previous race Brodie Kostecki was motivated. It didn’t take long before he pushed past Aaron Cameron to take 2nd position.

Still on lap 6 Thomas Randle hit the wall exiting turn 5. They hadn’t completed a single lap since the last safety car before it was deployed again. Randle became the 2nd NC in the race.

The restart was on lap 10. Brodie Kostecki was right on the rear bumper of the leader Broc Feeney. He made several attempts to take the lead but no matter what he tried he couldn’t make the manoeuvre stick.

The race was time certain to fit in with the F1 Grand Prix schedule. The 3 safety cars forced an early finish at lap 15 (instead of 19).

Kostecki had run out of time in his chase for the lead and followed Feeney across the finish line only 0.145 of a second behind. It was one of the closest finishes I have ever seen.

Race 6 Results:

1st Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
2nd Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
3rd Cameron Waters – Tickford Racing

In Race 7 the 4th and final race for the weekend, Will Brown started on pole position. Next to him was Thomas Randle.

As the race started Will Brown took the lead in the first of 14 laps.

Further back in the pack Kai Allen had lunged forward from the start line but then abruptly stopped. The cars behind couldn’t avoid him and piled up. There were too many cars in the pile up to count but included Broc Feeney, Ryan Wood, David Reynolds, Jackson Walls, Zack Bates and Cooper Murray.

It was pure chaos and the safety car was deployed to clean up the track. The 3 cars of Feeney, Bates and Murray were unable to continue and towed back to the pits. They never made it back to the track and received NCs (Not Complete).

For Feeney who was now at the top of the championship ladder after Matt Payne’s NC in race 6, this was an incredible disappointment.

The race went back to green on lap 5. Will Brown, Thomas Randle and Aaron Cameron were in the top 3 places.

At turn 11 Brodie Kostecki passed Aaron Cameron for third place. The following lap he passed Thomas Randle for second place.  He was now on a chase for the lead.

After having a triple tyre blow out in the previous race, Matt Payne blew another tyre. He lost valuable time but did make it back to the track.

As they entered the final quarter of the race Will Brown locked up the brakes in a driver error. Brodie Kostecki made his move and took the lead.

Brown tried to chase him down, but Kostecki was just too fast. Due to the safety car deployment in lap 1 the race was also cut short to 13 laps.

Brodie Kostecki crossed the finish line 1.756 seconds clear of Will Brown. Thomas Randle took 3rd place a further 1.739 seconds later.

Race 7 Results:

1st Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing
2nd Will Brown – Red Bull Ampol Racing
3rd Thomas Randle – Castrol Racing

With 3 wins and 1 second place, Brodie Kostecki won the Larry Perkins trophy for the 2026 Melbourne Supersprint. To top off his successful weekend he is also the new championship leader.

The next event is the ITM Taupo Super 440 on Apr 10 – 12. I hope you will join me.

Supercars

Repco Bathurst 1000 2025

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

On the weekend of October 9 -12 was the Repco Bathurst 1000!

The Bathurst 1000 is the biggest and most well known motor car race on the Australian calendar. It is arguably bigger than the Australian Grand Prix and comparable to the Melbourne Cup horse race as a cultural event that stops the nation!

This year marked the 65th anniversary of The Bathurst 1000. And Boy, what a show it was! It will certainly go down in history as one of the best ever.

The pre-race sessions started 3 days beforehand. The preparations included 6 practice sessions, qualifying, top 10 shootout and a warmup session.

In a surprise to most punters, season leader Broc Feeney with co-driver Jamie Whincup didn’t get the pole position. The winner of last year’s Bathurst 1000 and the 2023 season champion Brodie Kostecki earned pole position for the 3rd year running. His co-driver was Todd Hazelwood.

Alongside them on the front row for the start was Cameron Waters and co-driver Mark Winterbottom.

Todd Hazelwood took the lead off the startline. He was followed by Mark Winterbottom, Jayden Ojeda, Fabian Coulthard and Cooper Murray.

Meanwhile, the last car on the grid driven by Brad Vaughn had stalled! He had to be towed off the track. What a way to start a 1000km race!

Todd Hazelwood kept the lead in the initial laps. Behind him there was plenty of chopping and changing in the top 5 drivers. David Russel, Garth Tander and Craig Lowndes were all in the mix. Pretty soon, so was Jamie Whincup.

Jack le Brocq was the first car to pit on lap 12.

On lap 26 Broc Feeney took the wheel from Jamie Whincup and beat leader Todd Hazelwood to the pit exit. The drivers in front of them were soon out of the way as they took their pit stops. Feeney was the new leader.

Broc Feeney soon carved a 4+ second lead over the rest of the pack. Although it was still early in the race, he was looking strong and confident.

Around lap 27 the rain started to fall.

Although the rain was light, the wet track was obviously a challenge. Aaron Cameron made heavy contact with the wall at turn 2. The impact was so hard that the car lifted off the ground into the air! Somehow, he was able to push on.

It was also probably the rain that caused Mark Winterbottom to run wide at the top of the mountain and losing 2nd place.

As they reached laps in the mid 30s, Car 25 of Chaz Mostert and co-driver Fabian Coulthard was not running on all 8 cylinders and sounding terrible. They pushed on.

Tim Slade’s car also suffered the same issue and chose to pit after lap 50. The Bendix Racing team felt they couldn’t reliably make the repairs and became the first car to exit the race early.

It was only 3 laps later that Tony Dalberto hit the wall on the exit of Forest Elbow and the safety car deployed once again. The Will Davison/Tony Dalberto car was soon declared the 2nd victim of The Great Race.

Mostert was still having his engine problem. After lap 57 he came to a stop on Conrod Straight. Again, the safety car was deployed. Mostert must have known the car was beyond repair. By the time the team declared they wouldn’t be able to continue, Mostert was at the bar having a cold one!

While the race was under the Safety Car conditions for Mostert, leader Broc Feeney took his next pit stop. This handed the lead to Brodie Kostecki followed by Cameron Waters. Feeney returned on track in 6th place.

The rain started getting heavier. Drivers were slip-sliding all over the place.

On lap 65 Nash Morris and Cameron McLeod made contact and in spectacular fashion went spinning around to end up facing the wrong way.

Brodie Kostecki had reported clutch issues earlier and then ran wide at The Chase. Cameron Waters snuck through and now had the lead.

Waters didn’t hold the spot for long. He joined Kostecki in the pits. The lead was taken up by Lee Holdsworth, followed by Jamie Whincup and Jayden Ojeda.

Cameron McLeod slid off track into a sand trap to bring out another safety car.

Next thing you know, Kai Allen travelling at 300kmph had a near miss with a kangaroo.

Kai Allen’s luck was used up. Soon after he was hit from behind and ended up in the wall at Forest Elbow. Another Safety Car was deployed.

Lee Holdsworth pitted from his leading position and left Jayden Ojeda in the number one spot. What a thrill for the young driver on his 2nd running at Bathurst.

By the middle of the race David Russell co-driving for James Golding had taken the lead from Jayden Ojeda in 2nd place. 13+ seconds further back was Scott Pye in 3rd.

They young Jayden Ojeda was like an enthusiastic puppy. In a matter of laps he closed the gap and then took over David Russsell.

Jayden Ojeda surprised everyone. He sped ahead and quickly created his own 5+ seconds buffer in the pouring rain. He was in the 1st spot but must have been in 7th heaven.

Brodie Kostecki was still in the top 10 drivers when he hit the rear of Kai Allen. Kostecki was in the pits for repairs. The delay caused him to drop so far back it would be impossible to recover.

There was plenty more action on the track throughout the race.

With 37 laps remaining Broc Feeney hit the wall at Forest Elbow requiring the safety car to be deployed. The time needed for repairs left him out of race contention. It must have been devastating for Feeney who is at the top of the championship ladder with 12 wins this season.

On lap 127 James Courtney (with co-driver Jack Perkins) had scored so much damage they became the 4th car to not complete the race.

Only two laps later Jaxson Evans with co-driver Jack Smith were the next casualties.

Ryan Wood (with co-driver Jayden Ojeda) still had the lead. With 24 laps remaining, Wood went off the track at The Chase. James Golding was right there to take the lead.

A couple of laps later Ryan Wood’s pace dramatically slowed. The car pitted. The repairs took time and the team knew there was no chance to regain their place. Regardless, they still chose to get back out there and to not quit. It is a shame they finished 19th.

On lap 143 of 161, after 6+ hours of driving, Ritchie Stanaway and Nash Morris were the 6th and final car to crash out of the race.

With 11 laps remaining, Golding had the lead. He was followed closely by Cooper Murray and Matt Payne. They were all within arms reach of each other.

The final 10 lap countdown was on, and the leading drivers were close together. The “win” for the biggest race of the year was up for grabs, and they all showed how much they wanted it.

With 9 laps left, the rain was still falling and track very wet.

Coming down The Dipper they push their cars to the max. Golding lost traction causing him to fishtail. He managed to hang on to the lead.

On Conrod Straight, Matt Payne was side by side in a challenge to Golding. At 300 kmph they approach the bends of The Chase.  As they exit The Chase, Payne slides onto the trackside grass and fishtails. He regains control and stays on the attack. Any mistakes could cost dearly, and the pressure was on.

As they reach the last turn of the lap, Cooper Murray attempted a pass on the outside of Payne. Payne ran wide and Murray cut behind him to the inside and comes out of the corner leading. It was a fantastic manoeuvre.

Payne worked through lap 8 to close the gap on the cars ahead.

With 7 laps remaining, Murray made an attack on Golding. They were side by side for what seemed a long time in a fierce battle for the lead. Murray finally managed to pass taking the number 1 spot!

Reynolds was in 4th place about 6 seconds behind, but desperately wants in on the action. He completed the circuit 1.5+ seconds faster than the three cars ahead and closed in on them.

With 5] laps to go, the top 3 cars are still bumper to bumper. The cars were pushed to the max in the rain and the driving was faultless.

At turn 2, Golding attacked on the inside of Murray and made contact. Golding went wide and Murray slid sideways. In a magically fluid motion Matt Payne cut across them to the inside of the corner to take the lead! James Golding remained in 2nd place. Cooper Murray dropped from 1st to 3rd.

Soon after, the officials issued James Golding a 5 second time penalty for causing the issue. Unable to serve the time penalty in the pits, the 5 seconds would be added to his final time at the end of the race. The 5 seconds penalty could result in losing the win and even being out of a podium finish.

Fog and mist from the low heavy cloud cover, blocked visibility across the top of Mount Panarama. The cars emerging from the mist and screaming down the mountain just looked incredible.

In the second last lap Matt Payne was aggressively driving to keep his lead. Golding is just as good and right on his tail.

The race had started nearly 7 hours ago and were just shy of 1000kms on one of the most challenging circuits anywhere. The leaders had been behind the wheel for more than 3 hours straight. In the car the temperature soars. How they could still be driving so competitively was a show of astounding stamina.

Hitting maximum speed down Conrod Straight, Golding cut to the inside of Matt Payne and they battled each other side by side through the turns. Payne comes out of the duel to keep his lead.  

Golding was desperate and attacked again and again.

They reach the final lap. Amazingly, Golding attacked again and came out of turn 1 with the lead. The crowd goes absolutely mental!

Side by side they race through the bends up the mountain. Payne looks like he is about to come out ahead, but Golding is on the inside of the next bend and defends the lead.

David Reynolds is on Matt Paynes tail. He tries going around the outside of Payne on the next bend but gets cut off. It was close.

They screamed down the mountain single file towards Conrod Straight. The tension was incredible. Three cars in the last seconds of a gruelling battle. Who would crack under the pressure? Could Golding get far enough ahead to negate the 5 second time penalty at the end?

The air was filled with the roar of the crowd who had completely lost control in the excitement.

Top speeds, neck in neck, maximum focus! Noone cracked through The Chase and the final turn.

The 3 cars were so close together. The crowd was in a frenzy.

James Golding crossed the finish line 1st. Matt Payne 2nd, David Reynolds 3rd and Cooper Murray 4th.

Once the 5 second time penalty was applied to Golding, the final results were announced.

Race 27 results:             

1st Matt Payne and Garth Tander – Grove / Penrite Racing
2nd David Reynolds and Lee Holdsworth – Team 18 / TRADIE Energy
3rd James Golding and David Russell – PremiAir Racing

The result gave Garth Tander his 6th Bathurst win and elevates him to upper level ‘living legend’.

The Payne / Tander team also ended up winning the Enduro Cup.

Broc Feeney still leads the championship but only by 56 points over Matt Payne.

The next event is the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 24 – 26 2025.

Supercars

Air Touch 500 at the Bend 2025

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

On the weekend of September 12 – 14 was the Air Touch 500 at The Bend.

It was round 9 of the 2025 Supercars championship and the first of the two Endurance races for the year. The second endurance race will be The Bathurst 1000.

It is the first time that The Bend hosted a Supercars endurance event and was a single race of 102 laps / 500km.

Supercars started racing at the venue in 2018 soon after development was completed. Shane Van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup dominated that year. It has been an annual venue for Supercars sprint events.

The Talem Bend circuit (aka The Bend) was opened in 2018. It was developed from an abandoned Mitsubishi test track and is probably the most significant development in Australian motorsport. It includes up to 7 different track configurations ranging between 1.101km and 7.77km in length and supports a multitude of motor sports including motor cars, karts and motorcycles. It even boasts a 100 room hotel over the pits.

The pre-race events were far more extensive than usual allowing for driver and co-driver practice sessions. They were great fun to watch and there was only one major incident occurring in Practice 4. It was a co-driver session and while performing a safety car procedure drill, Jamie Whincup co-driving for championship leader Broc Feeney hit Scott Pye co-driver for defending champ Will Brown. It was most embarrassing because both cars are in the Red Bull Ampol Racing team. The Brown/Pye car headed to the pits but was unable to complete the session.

The results for all the sessions were:

  • Aaron Cameron was fastest in Practice 1
  • Jamie Whincup was fastest in Practice 2
  • Will Brown was fastest in Practice 3
  • James Moffat was fastest in Practice 4
  • Ryan Wood was fastest in Practice 5
  • Brodie Kostecki was fastest in Qualifying
  • Broc Feeney was fastest in the Shootout
  • Ryan Wood and Jayden Ojeda were fastest in the Warmup

Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup started on pole position. Alongside them was Cameron Hill and Cameron McLeod. Out of the 26 cars there were 22 co-drivers behind the wheel at the start.

Jamie Whincup got the jump off the start and led the first of 102 laps. There was a lot of chopping and changing of positions in the early stages.

David Russell was the first of many to receive a penalty for driving infringements.

After making contact with Jack Smith on lap 1, Nash Morris was the first car to stop on lap 5 due to a flat tyre.

Jamie Whincup’s lead was less than 1 second and he wasn’t able to break away from the pack. By lap 15 he had Todd Hazelwood right on his tail and chose to let him pass to reduce risks so early in the race.

Mark Winterbottom was in 3rd place approximately 2 seconds further back.

On lap 16 Dale Wood was the first car to pit from 18th place. When he came back out he was in 26th place.

Jamie Whincup pitted on lap 23 from 2nd place for tyres and fuel. The team were having issues with the fuel rig and only managed to fill 18 litres of fuel. When Whincup rejoined he was down the order in position 20.

Whincup’s pit stop left a gap between leader Todd Hazelwood and Mark Winterbottom.  Winterbottom pitted shortly after and by the time Todd Hazelwood pitted on lap 28 he had an 8+ second lead over Cooper Murray.

By the middle of the race Chaz Mostert had a 4.2 second lead over Brodie Kostecki. Cameron Waters was in 3rd place 1.3 seconds further back.

Towards the end of the race after Chaz Mostert took his final stop, Brodie Kostecki and Cameron Waters were left in first and second place with a reasonable gap back to Matt Payne in 3rd.

As they battled each other in the final laps they were able to keep their distance from the rest of the pack.

It soon became obvious they were unreachable and the challenge for the win was down to the two leading drivers.

Brodie Kostecki showed exceptional form and was able to break away from the bumper to bumper attack from Waters and create a 1+ second gap. He was soon flying to the finish line at an incredible speed and continually increasing his lead.

In the end Brodie Kostecki crossed the finish line with a 3.018 second win over Cameron Waters. Matt Payne came in 3rd place 7.6 seconds later.

What an incredible finish to the 500km race.

After starting in pole position and having the lead in the early stages Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup came in 19th place. They seemed to really struggle to find their way back to the front after their fuel issue on the first pit stop.

Race 26 Results:

1st Brodie Kostecki / Todd Hazelwood – Shell V-Power Racing
2nd Cameron Waters / Mark Winterbottom – Monster Castrol Racing
3rd Matt Payne / Garth Tander – Grove Racing

The next event will be the Repco Bathurst 1000 on 9 – 12 October 2025.

I hope you will join me for the biggest race of the season, The Bathurst 1000. The Bathurst channel begins on Monday October 6, 2025, on channel 506.

Until then; Live It, Breathe It, Dream It, Drive It !!

Drivers

Mark Winterbottom retirement article 2024

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

Late 2024 Mark Winterbottom announced his retirement from full-time V8-Supercars racing. Although he will still continue in the sport as a co-driver for endurance racing this article is a tribute to a much-loved man who has stood the test of time in a brilliant career to date.

Mark “Frosty” Winterbottom was born on the 20th of May 1981 in Sydney suburb of Doonside New South Wales.

He seemed to enjoy sports as a child and excelled in soccer. By the age of 5 he was playing for the Blacktown United Soccer Team.

At age 8 he started racing 50cc motorbikes in between his soccer playing. He soon moved into the 80cc category.

He also had a go at dirt mini speed car racing and showed an amazing talent. He won the ACT and NSW championships. It was obvious that something big was going to happen for him in whichever sports he chose to participate in.

Around the age of 9 he was behind the wheel of a race Kart which he continued to compete in until the age of 21.

During that time he won ten(10) Australian kart championships and 25 state karting championships plus other titles.

There was no doubt where it was leading and in 2001debuted in the 2001 Australian Formula Ford Championship and claimed runners up honours despite missing a round. In 2002 was runner up only because legend Jamie Whincup was there. His talent was visible and he received the Formula Ford Rookie of the Year Award.

In 2003 Mark Winterbottom became the Konica V8 Supercars series champion racing for Stone Brothers Racing team in his debut season. He also debuted in the V8-Supercars championship as co-driver in the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.

Sandown 500 2006: Mark Winterbottom (left) and Jason Bright (right).

Race legend Mark Larkham saw promise in Winterbottom’s talents and asked him to join his brand new team Larkham Motorsport for the V8-Supercars Championship. Winterbottom performed well through 2004 and 2005 before moving on to Ford Performance Racing in 2006.

Winterbottom had full time driver seat ever since.

After an amazing 21-year career in Supercars he has competed in 645 races, earned 35 pole positions, had 117 podium finishes including 38 race wins.

Mark Winterbottom wins the 2013 Bathurst 1000.

There are too many achievements to mention but I am sure he has fond recollections of taking the championship in 2015, wining the Bathurst 1000 in 2013 and Sandown 500 in 2015.

Mark Winterbottom is much loved amongst his peers and fans alike. You would be hard pressed to find someone say something bad about him.

I’ve been a fan of motorsports since I was a kid & Frosty has become such an integral part of the Australian motorsports lineup he will surely be missed. I know I will miss seeing him on the grid for every event.

I would like to say thanks for all you have given us through the years and look forward to seeing you at the enduro races. Best of luck in everything you choose to do in the future.

Supercars

Valo Adelaide 500 2024

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

On the weekend of the 14 – 17 November 2024 was Valo Adelaide 500, Round 12 of the 2024 Supercars Championship. This was the last round for the year held on the Adelaide Street circuit in South Australia.

The Adelaide Street Circuit was purpose built to host the Australian Grand Prix when Adelaide won the rights in 1985. The 3.80 km track combined sections constructed in Victoria Park as well as utilising city streets.

Supercars started racing at the Adelaide circuit in 1999. The event was known as The Sensational Adelaide 500 and run over 2 legs. At that very first event both races were won by legend Craig Lowndes. He won the first race from the second row of the grid and on the Sunday, he won after starting at the back of the pack. He unbelievably went from last to first.

This year marks the 25 year anniversary for Supercars at the venue.

This year it was the last event for the year, so is a milestone for two people leaving the sport as full-time drivers. Tim Slade is leaving after a 15 years career and Mark ‘Frosty’ Winterbottom ends his illustrious career after 21 years. We thank you and wish you all the very best for the future.

The event kicked off on a Thursday with warm weather. Great for the visitors but making it a hot 45 degrees plus inside the race cars.

The pre-race sessions results were:

  • James Courtney was fastest in Practice 1
  • David Reynolds was fastest in Practice 2
  • Will Brown was fastest in Qualifying. The session was cut short due to a red flag with 9 minutes 41 seconds remaining, caused by a big shunt between Richie Stanaway Cameron Hill and David Reynolds.
  • Broc Feeney was fastest in Practice 3
  • Cameron Waters was fastest in the top 10 Shootout

In Race 23 Cameron Waters started on pole position, alongside him was Thomas Randle.

Dale Wood started 24th on the grid as substitute for Richie Stanaway who was receiving medical attention after his crash in qualifying.

Cooper Murray was sitting in for “Dad to Be” Jack le Brocq who was heading home to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.

Chaz Mostert was having clutch problems pre-race and had to start from the pit lane.

The two Red Bull Ampol Racing driver’s came into this event as the only 2 in contention for the season title. So, although it was a tense situation it would have been relatively a friendly competition between the two, Will Brown and Broc Feeney.

At the start of the 78 lap race Thomas Randle got the jump and took the lead. Cameron Waters tucked into second place and Matt Payne was right behind them in third. The championship contenders Will Brown and Broc Feeney were battling for 4th and 5th place.

Both Broc Feeney and Will Brown soon passed Matt Payne for 3rd and 4th position.

Last year’s reigning champ, Brodie Kostecki had moved up 4 places into 7th.

Chaz Mostert who was 3rd on the season ladder wanted to keep his place on the scoreboard. He passed David Rynolds to take the 18th spot.

The first car to pit in this race was Tim Slade from 21st position on lap 17.

Soon after Slade returned to the track he was hit by David Reynolds. Slade was able to continue but David Reynolds was slowing and had to head into the garage to resolve the problems with car 20.

Broc Feeney in 3rd place was the first of the front runners to pit on lap 27. The stop was 5.5 seconds and he re-joined in 7th position. The 6 cars ahead were yet to take their pit stops. Once they did Feeney took the lead of the race.

Mark Winterbottom was spun around and pushed out of 5th place by Cooper Murray.

By the middle of the race Broc Feeney had a comfortable lead over Thomas Randle and Cameron Waters. Will Brown was in 4th place.

Broc Feeney kept edging ahead of the pack. It seemed he was untouchable.

With 8 laps to go Broc Feeney had created an 8.7 second lead on the rest of the pack. Meanwhile, his teammate Will Brown had passed Thomas Randle and Cameron Waters to take 2nd place. For Will Brown to finish within the top 5 places would be good enough for him to wrap up the 2024 Supercars Championship.

Will Brown wanted the win but just couldn’t close the gap on Feeney.

Broc Feeney crossed the finish line an amazing 12.117 seconds clear of Will Brown to take his 12th career win, and his 6th win of the 2024 season. Cameron Waters followed in 3rd place.

With this result Will Brown was named ‘2024 Champion Elect’. What a great moment for the Red Bull Ampol Racing team. Top two drivers and top team for the year!

Race 23 Results:

1st Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
2nd Will Brown – Red Bull Ampol Racing
3rd Cameron Waters – Tickford Racing

In Race 24 Broc Feeney started on pole position with Chaz Mostert alongside him.

As they took off Chaz Mostert and Broc Feeney were neck in neck until they got to turn 4 when Mostert was able to finally take the lead. Meanwhile Will Brown was right behind.

On lap 4 Matt Payne went into a tyre wall at turn 11. Payne couldn’t get the car into reverse and the front end was buried under the mountain of tyres. The safety car was deployed to rescue him & after a short stint in the garage returned to the race.

The restart was on lap 8 and Chaz Mostert still had control of the race. Broc Feeney in 2nd was looking very racy after the restart and put in several challenges for the lead but Mostert defended well.

At turn 7 Will Brown was hit and spun around by Brodie Kostecki trying to make a pass for 3rd place. The new Champion Elect, Will Brown dropped from 3rd all the way down to 22nd. Although already named champ aft the previous race, being at the back of the pack was surely not how he wanted to finish the season.

Thomas Randle took advantage of the mayhem, and he was now the driver in 3rd place.

Later in the race after the officials reviewed the incident, Brodie Kostecki was issued a 15 second time penalty.

Ryan Wood in 5th place got turned around by Anton de Pasquale at turn 9. Cameron Waters trying to avoid the incident hit Pasquale and went up onto 2 wheels which looked extremely scary.

The first car to pit was James Golding on lap 20 from 20th place.

By the middle of the race Chaz Mostert was out front with a 3 + second lead over Broc Feeney. There was then a 9.927 seconds gap back to Will Davison in third place.

On lap 50 the 3 leaders pitted for the final time. On exit there was contact between Chaz Mostert and Broc Feeney. Officials deemed it Feeney’s error and issued him with 15 second time penalty.

With 13 laps to go the lead pack had changed order. Anton de Pasquale was in the number 1 spot, followed by Broc Feeney, Chaz Mostert and Will Brown.

Take note that Brown was in 4th place after working his way back to the front after being pushed to the rear of the pack early on in the race. I guess that shows why he earned the championship crown.

Anton de Pasquale’s car was showing the strain of the gruelling 78 lap race. The spoiler on his car was hanging loose and scraping the track. He had to relinquish the lead and head to the pits for repairs before the officials gave him a mechanical black flag.

The lead had changed once again; Broc Feeney, Chaz Mostert then Will Brown. Although Feeney was in the lead he still had a 15 second time penalty that would be added post race. He knew he wouldn’t be standing on the podium.

Chaz Mostert in 2nd place looked like he would inherit the win from Feeney.  With 4 laps to go Mostert exceeded track limits and was issued a drive through penalty.

Once Mostert left the track to serve the penalty, Will Brown moved into 2nd place on the track.

Brown knew of the impending 15 second penalty hanging over Feeney, so he took no risks to challenge him. He would win by default.

When Mostert returned to the track after serving the drive through penalty he was miraculously in 3rd place.

Broc Feeney crossed the line first, followed by teammate Will Brown, Chaz Mostert and then Thomas Randle.

Feeney’s time penalty dropped him down to 7th place in the final results. Will Brown claimed the win, Chaz Mostert was declared 2nd and Thomas Randle 3rd.

It was bad luck for Feeney but what a great finish to Will Brown as the season champ.

Race 24 Results:

1st Will Brown – Red Bull Ampol Racing
2nd Chaz Mostert – Walkinshaw Andretti United
3rd Thomas Randle – Castrol Racing

Well, that’s it for the 2024 Supercars season.

The Sydney 500 will be the first event to kick off the new season in Feb 2025. I can’t wait and hope you will join me in the new year.

In the meantime, I wish you all a very safe and happy festive season and new year.