Tag Archives: Richard Crail

Century Batteries Ipswich super 440 2026

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.

Bossch Powertools Perth Super 440 2026

Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

Round 8 of the 2026 Supercars Championship, the Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440 was held on July 31 to August 2 at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth Western Australia.

Barbagallo Raceway originally known as Wanneroo Park first opened on March 2, 1969. Supercars known back then as the Australian Touring Car Championship first raced at the venue in 1973. The track was officially renamed Barbagallo Raceway in 1992.

This year the event marked a milestone for Chaz Mostert starting his 450th round and Cameron Waters starting his 150th round.

In the pre–race sessions:

  • Jayden Ojeda was fastest in Practice 1
  • Matt Payne was fastest in Practice 2
  • Matt Payne was fastest in Qualifying

A lot of time was lost in the qualifying session with 2 red flags for Zac Bates getting stuck in a sand trap and Jobe Stewart doing the same in a separate incident.

In Race 23 Matt Payne started on pole position with Cameron Waters alongside him.

As the race went green Cameron Waters led into turn 1 for the first of 50 laps. The pole sitter Matt Payne dropped back to 2nd place. Ryan Wood gained 1 spot up to third place.

Broc Feeney, Matt Payne’s main rival for the Sprint Cup was in 12th place.

The front runners Cameron Waters, Matt Payne and Ryan Wood were bunched up and put in challenges for the lead on that first lap. Matt Payne took the lead off Cameron Waters at turn 7 and at the start of lap 2 Ryan Wood also slipped past for 2nd place.

Kai Allen took 4th place after he got up the inside of Thomas Randle after he ran wide.

The first car to pit was Jack le Brocq on lap 15.

The first of the leaders to stop was Brodie Kostecki on lap 19. Cooper Murray also pitted on the same lap.

As they reached the middle of the race Matt Payne still held the number 1 spot with a 2.4 second lead over Ryan Wood. Cameron Waters was still holding on to 3rd place.

After they reached 30 of the 50 laps there were only 2 cars remaining to pit, Aaron Cameron and James Golding in positions 1 and 2.

Soon after Broc Feeney set the fastest lap of the race 55.418 seconds whilst in 19th position. That’s quite a feat considering he had the rest of the pack around him.

As they moved into the last 10 laps of the race Kai Allen made contact with Brodie Kostecki’s car that ended up in the sand trap. The safety car was deployed to rescue him.

The restart was on lap 44. Matt Payne was still in control followed by Ryan Wood and Chaz Mostert who had taken up 3rd place.

In the remaining laps Chaz Mostert ran wide and Anton de Pasquale took advantage of his error and passed him for 3rd place. It was bad luck for Mostert to lose a podium finish.

By lap 48 just 4 laps after the safety car, Matt Payne had created an incredible 3+ second lead over his closest rival.

He kept that lead and took the win 3.179 seconds ahead of Ryan Wood. Anton de Pasquale right on his tail, took 3rd place.

Race 23 results:

1st Matt Payne – Grove Racing
2nd Ryan Wood – Walkinshaw TWG Racing
3rd Anton de Pasquale – Team 18

In race 24 Matt Payne once again started on pole position. His rival for the Sprint Cup Broc Feeney was alongside him.

Matt Payne took the lead into turn 1 for the first of 50 laps. Behind him was Broc Feeney and Kai Allen.

Feeney really wanted the lead and for an exciting couple of laps raced line astern with Matt Payne.

On lap 6 Matt Payne set the fastest lap of the race so far, 55.385 seconds. He now had a 1 second lead over Broc Feeney in second place.

By lap 17 Chaz Mostert was in 4th place and was the first car to pit.

The other front runners stayed out because they had track position. Matt Payne soon increased his lead to 2.3 seconds over Broc Feeney. Payne’s teammate Kai Allen was right on Feeney’s tail.

There were still 17 cars yet to take their mandatory pit stop. Kai Allen pitted along with Thomas Randle on lap 22. Broc Feeney pitted on lap 23 to cover off the undercut from Kai Allen.

By the middle of the race Matt Payne and Will Brown pitted. There were still 12 cars remaining to take their stops before the track order was sorted.

Later on, Matt Payne was being held up by another car and Broc Feeney was able to pass him. There were still 2 cars yet to stop before Broc Feeney would assume the lead of the race.

As the race was reaching its final stages Broc Feeney’s lead was just 0.505 seconds over Matt Payne. Kai Allen was still in third place.

Will Brown was trying to reach the front and had gained 7 spots and now in 5th place.

Broc Feeney seemed inspired, not just by the possibility of the race win but also by the Sprint Cup. He drove like a demon to create a bigger lead over his rival. The front of the pack began to spread out. It was now just a matter of ensuring they made no errors to get a podium finish.

In the end Broc Feeney crossed the finish line with a 1.583 second win over Matt Payne. Kai Allen took 3rd place 4+ seconds later. It was a further 7+ seconds before Chaz Mostert took 4th place.

Race 24 results:

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

For Race 25 Broc Feeney finally earned himself a pole position. Alongside him was Cameron Waters.

Ryan Wood who was supposed to start on the second row of the grid in 4th had to come into the pits on the formation lap due to an air box issue. He ended up missing the start.

As the race got underway Broc Feeney led into turn 1 for the 1st of the 80 laps.

Will Brown helped Rylan Gray into the sandtrap at turn 6 and was later issued a 15 second time penalty.

Rylan Gray had a front spoiler full of sand and a track full of cars in front of him. He was not going to make any headway so took his pit stop early on lap 5. It also avoided the possibility of a double stack later with his teammate Brodie Kostecki. Kostecki was up the front in 4th place.

Broc Feeney still had the lead with Cameron Waters and Matt Payne behind him.

Chaz Mostert who started 12th on the grid took 7th place off Aaron Cameron.

It took a while, but Matt Payne finally overtook Cameron Waters for 2nd position. He still had to make up 1.8+ seconds if he wanted to catch the leader, Broc Feeney.

The pit stop cycle started on lap 15 with Jack le Brocq.

Brodie Kostecki had kept his place behind the 3 front runners. He wanted a podium finish. On lap 37 he did the fastest lap of the race, 55.404 seconds.

After Broc Feeney took his pit stop Kai Allen was left in the number 1 spot followed by Matt Payne and Cameron Waters. Feeney rejoined in 2nd place but was 6.7 seconds behind the leader.

Once Kai Allen took his first mandatory pit stop, Broc Feeney was back in control of the race.

Ryan Wood who wasn’t able to start the race yet, had to concede and received an NC (Not Complete).

As they worked their way through the middle laps of the race the leaders began to spread out. Broc Feeney maintained a lead of roughly 3 seconds over Matt Payne. Brodie Kostecki was 1.5 seconds behind in third place.

Towards the end of the race the leaders were forced to take their 2nd mandatory pit stops. Afterwards, the gap had closed significantly between Broc Feeney and Matt Payne.

Matt Payne stayed on Feeney’s tail. He was running out of time if he wanted the lead. He took the first opportunity and managed to overtake Broc Feeney. Feeney was now doing the chasing as they flew around the track at top speed, bumper to bumper.

They were well ahead of the others, so it boiled down to a duel between the two drivers.

They drove perfectly but at no stage did Matt Payne give Broc Feeney an opportunity to pass.

In the last few laps Feeney seemed to recognise an attempt would put him at risk and lose a podium finish.

In the end Matt Payne crossed the finish line with a 1.280 second lead on Broc Feeney. It was 11+ seconds later before Anton de Pasquale took third place.

Race 25 results:

1st Matt Payne – Grove Racing
2nd Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
3rd Anton de Pasquale – Team 18

With 2 out of 3 race wins Matt Payne now leads the championship by 118 points over Broc Feeney.

The Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440 on 21 – 23 August 2026 will be the final and deciding event of the Sprint Cup. The points are relatively close so it will be exciting to see who comes out on top.

NTI Townsville 500 2026

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.

Betr Darwin Triple Crown 2026

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.

Tasmania Super 440 – 2026

Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the World!

Round 5 of the 2026 Supercars Championship, The Tyrepower Tasmania Super 440 was run on 22 – 24 May at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania.

Symmons Plains Raceway located near Launceston in Tasmania was first opened in 1960. The historic circuit was built on the Youl Family’s estate. Supercars then known as the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) first started racing at the venue in 1969.

In this year’s event, Race 15 marked the 100th Supercars race at the venue.

In the pre-race sessions:

  • David Reynolds was fastest in Practice 1
  • Brodie Kostecki was fastest in Practice 2
  • Chaz Mostert was fastest in Qualifying

In Race 14 Chaz Mosstert claimed his very first pole position of 2026. Alongside him on the front row of the grid was Anton de Pasquale.

Anton de Pasquale took the lead from the start line of the 50 lap race.

On lap 3 Chaz Mostert made a pass for the number 1 spot. Anton de Pasquale dropped 3 more spots to David Reynolds, Andre Heimgartner and then Brodie Kostecki.

On lap 11 Cooper Murray pitted due to a steering problem. It couldn’t be resolved in time to return to the race.

The first 2 cars to pit were Anton de Pasquale and Jayden Ojeda on lap 15. A few laps later David Reynolds was another of the front runners to pit.

In the middle of the race the other cars cycled through their pit stops till Chaz Mostert resumed the lead.

After Will Brown pitted on lap 27, his wheel fell off before he even made it out of the pit lane. The Red Bull Ampol Racing team were given a post-race penalty.

On lap 32 Broc Feeney recorded the fastest circuit time, 51.676 seconds.

Towards the end of the race only Jackson Walls and Jobe Stewart were yet to pit before Chaz Mostert retook the lead.

Broc Feeney had to make a move if he wanted a podium finish. He got by Anton de Pasquale for 5th place and then passed Andre Heimgartner for 4th. Brodie Kostecki wasn’t going to give up 3rd without a fight. He fended off Feeney’s constant attacks, while Feeney had to fend off Andre Heimgartner’s attacks.

In the end Chaz Mostert crossed the finish line with a 5.322 second win over David Reynolds. Brodie Kostecki came in 3rd place less than 1 second later. Broc Feeney missed out on a podium finish by 0.536 seconds to take 4th place.

Chaz Mostert’s lead was remarkable while the others behind were so tightly packed. It was a great finish.

Race 14 results:

1st Chaz Mostert – Walkinshaw TWG Racing
2nd David Reynolds – Team 18
3rd Brodie Kostecki – Shell V-Power Racing Team
4th Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing

In Race 15 Andre Heimgartner had pole position with Matt Payne alongside him.

As the race went green Andre Heimgartner got the jump and led for the first of 50 laps.

Broc Feeney who started in P3 of the grid passed Matt Payne for 2nd place at turn 2. Ryan Wood was in 4th place.

The first car to pit for this race was Kai Allen on lap 14.

Chaz Mostert made contact with Jayden Ojeda at turn 6 and both cars spun. The officials reviewed the incident and gave Chaz Mossstert a 15 second time penalty.

In the middle of the race David Reynolds earned himself a 15 second time penalty for hitting Brodie Kostecki. Kostecki’s car received a lot of damage and soon after smoke was coming from the rear.

Towards the end of the race Andre Heimgartner was back in the lead with a 3.8 seconds lead over Broc Feeney and Matt Payne. Although the front runners were now spread apart, the top 4 places were unchanged.

Antre Heimgartner kept that lead and crossed the finish line 3.686 seconds ahead of Broc Feeney. Matt Payne took 3rd place 4+ seconds behind Feeney.

The rest of the pack lead by Will Brown were a whopping 8+ adrift.

Race 15 results:

1st Andre Heimgartner – Brad Jones Racing
2nd Broc Feeney – Red Bull Ampol Racing
3rd Matt Payne – Grove Racing

In Race 16 Broc Feeney started on pole position. Alongside him was Matt Payne.

Broc Feeney took the lead in the first of the 84 lap race.

Jayden Ojeda had a bad start. He was 3rd on the grid but finished the opening lap in 10th place.

The first 2 cars to pit were Cameron Waters and Jackson Walls on lap 6.

Anton de Pasquale pushed Will Brown off the track to take 3rd place. Will Brown lost 2 spots.

Will Brown pitted on lap 20 to avoid a double stack with his teammate Broc Feeney.

By the middle of the race the front runners began to spread out. Broc Feeney had created a nice 2.7 second lead over Matt Payne in 2nd place. Will Brown was a further 9.7 seconds behind in 3rd.

Matt Payne recorded the fastest time of 51.802 seconds on lap 49. Then Broc Feeney beat that time with 51.693 seconds.

Towards the end of the race Broc Feeney had 3.1 second lead. As they reached the last 10 laps, he increased it to 4+ seconds.

In the remaining laps Broc Feeney had a clear track and was unhindered by other competitors. He used it to his full advantage and nearly doubled his lead. He crossed the finish line with a 7.268 second win over Matt Payne. Kai Allen was a further 2.675 seconds behind to take 3rd.

It was a fantastic scene as Broc Feeney dominated throughout this race and take his 4th win of 2026.

Race 16 results:

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

Broc Feeney still leads the championship by 90 points and Red Bull Ampol Racing still lead the team’s championship by 68 points.

The next event is the Betr Darwin Triple Crown on 19 – 21 June 2026.

ITM Christchurch super 440 2026

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.

ITM Taupo Super 440 2026

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.

Valo Adelaide 500 2024

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.

Repco Bathurst 12 hour 2024

Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

On the weekend of the 16 – 18 of February 2024 was the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour.

The Bathurst 12 Hour was first run in 1991 so this year marks a milestone as the 21st running.

The Bathurst 12 Hour is not officially a part of the Supercars season. However, many of the Supercars drivers take part in the grand event. It is made of 4 classes; Pro AM, Silver, GT4 and the invitational class. Being a gruelling 12 hours on one of the most difficult tracks in the country, each car has three drivers that take turns behind the wheel.

Sheldon Van Der Linde claimed pole position and the Allan Simonsen Trophy for BMW team, WRT. Local Broc Feeney of the Triple 8 team qualified his 888 Mercedes to earn provisional pole position.

The race kicked off under safety car in the dark of Sunday at 5:45am. Bathurst is known for its erratic weather conditions but they started with a dry track and no major challenges. For the next 12 hours there was a spectacular display of driving from local and international teams alike.

2024 Bathurst 12 Hour Highlights

On the start, Sheldon Van Der Linde immediately made a break from the pack. Within a few laps he already created a gap of about 10 car lengths but there was still a long way to go.

There were no major incidents before the sun came up and all 25 cars were still on track.

At about the 75 minute mark, number 19 Racing Ginetta G55 GT4 caught fire in the pit lane. They were the first retirement of the race.

The first safety car was deployed after 2 hours 40 minutes of racing when the 701 Vortex spun off the track into the sand trap as it headed towards the S’s. 

As the 12 hour countdown got to 8hrs 36 minutes car number 91 found the fence at turn 2 and came to a standstill on the blind corner.               

A few minutes before they marked the 5th hour of driving, Charles Weerts behind the wheel of the pole sitting car made contact at “The Cutting”. In spectacular fashion his car was out of control and the rear mounted the concrete barrier sliding along for over 50 meters. He was lucky to have not gone right over the top. The damage was so severe # 32 was now out of the race. The team was doing so well throughout the whole weekend it is a great shame they were not able to continue. I am sure they would have been contenders for a win and offered up much more of their competitive driving.

When they were into the 6th hour of racing Bathurst did what Bathurst does. The weather changed completely and the rain came down heavily. At times there were sheets of water covering the track.

Cars were going off the track left, right and centre. The international drivers began sticking behind local drivers who knew the track and how to manage in the wet conditions. Still many cars aquaplaned off the challenging track and there were many moments that had viewers holding their breath.

Local Matt Campbell behind the wheel of #912 had the lead in the Manthey Racing / EMA Motorsport Porsche.

He was challenged multiple times with the biggest coming from the #13 Phantom Global Racing/Team 75 Porsche entry driven by Bastian Buus, Joel Eriksson and NZ local Jaxon Evans. The other challenge came from the SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes driven by Jules Gounon, Kenny Habul and Luca Stolz.

With 30 minutes remaining there was less than 1 second between the leading 3 cars and less than 8 seconds back to 8th place. It was anyone’s game and there was no room for mistakes.

The rain had stopped but the track was still wet. With leading cars so close to each other the competitive driving was incredibly fierce.

With 15 minutes on the clock the leading Porsche #912 with Matt Campbell behind the wheel edged ahead to create a 5+ second lead. Noone was giving up. Drivers were flying down the straights side by side heading into corners looking for any opportunity to make a pass.

Matt Campbells driving was incredible. He kept the lead in the #912 Porsche and even though the gap closed down to just over 2 seconds, he looked confident and strong on that last lap.

The #75 Mercedes driven by Jules Gounon crossed the finish line within 2.6 seconds to take 2nd place followed by the #22 Audi.

For Matt Campbell this is his second Bathurst 12 Hour win. It also breaks the Mercedes 3 time winning streak.

Results for the 2024 Repco Bathurst 12 Hour:

1st Matt Campbell, Ayhancan Guven, Laurens Vanthoor – Manthey Racing/EMA Motorsport

2nd Jules Gounon, Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz – SunEnergy1 Racing

3rd Christopher Haase, Kelvin van der Linde, Liam Talbot – Melbourne Performance Centre

Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 hour 2022

Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

On the weekend of the 13th to the 15th of May 2022 was the Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

The Bathurst 12 hour is a time race independent of laps.

It is also a GT not a Supercars race, so the results don’t affect the Supercars series.

There were plenty of drivers from the Supercars paddock that competed, like; Lee Holdsworth, Broc Feeney, David Reynolds, Cameron Waters, Shane Van Gisbergen, Craig Lowndes, Alex Davison, Chaz Mostert, Will Brown and Jack Perkins.

Some of the more well-known internationals that competed included; Kenny Habul, Jules Gounon, Kelvin van der Linde, Marcus Winklehock and Prince Jefri Ibrahim.

I was keeping my eye on Chaz Mostert, Broc Feeney, Shane Van Gisbergen, Lee Holdsworth, Dean Fiore, Craig Lowndes, Cameron Waters and Grant Denyer.

Normally this event is run in February but due to Covid messing with things, it was re-scheduled for May.

Also, it usually starts between 6am and 6:15am (during daylight savings). Marketing determined it best to have the race finish during TV peak-time for better ratings. This meant an earlier start of 5:15am, so the first 90 minutes of the race were in the early morning dark.

The first 90 minutes were in the dark before sunrise.

Before the race started the fog had descended on Mount Panorama.

Chaz Mostert earned himself pole position. He was teamed with Liam Talbot and Fraser Ross in car 65, an Audi from Melbourne Performance Centre. I wasn’t surprised that Chaz Mostert started behind the wheel because of his experience at this venue in the Supercars Series.

South African, Kelvin van der Linde was alongside pole.

Broc Feeney, the Red Bull Ampol Racing rookie started the 888 Mercedes from 5th position. In his Bathurst 12 Hour debut this was a big assignment, but no doubt because the team have faith in him.

There were only 20 cars on the grid this year compared to the normal 30 or 40 cars. The reduction was of limited international competitors due to COVID.

A rolling start behind the safety car is the norm for the Bathurst 12 Hour, I guess to reduce the risks of a standing start in the dark. It was also a good choice considering this year’s foggy conditions.

When the safety car peeled off, the start of the race was absolutely spectacular. The drivers in the top 10 held their positions with Mostert and Linde being the pace setters.

The safety car came out more than once due to the foggy conditions. The visibility was so poor that even the drivers were making comments. Typical of Bathurst, the fog turned to rain, then fogged up again and then rained again.

Before the sun came up, Zane Morse in car 52 tagged the wall at the top of the hill forcing a safety car. The Wheels/FX Racing PNG Marc II V8 was the first car to leave the track.

Two hours into the race Dale Wood in car 50 was the next victim of The Mountain.

About halfway through car 95 was pulled from the race with engine problems.

Car 45 hit the wall exiting The Dipper and required immediate repairs. When it rejoined the race they suffered another hit taking it out of the race for good.

I am not superstitious but I note that the above cars mentioned all have the number 5 in their car numbers; 52, 50, 95 and 45. Coincidence?

Of all the things that happened to the cars in such a gruelling race, it was the pole sitter car 65 that had my eyes wide open in disbelief. The car had stopped on Mountain Straight. To rectify the issues, you wont believe this….. They literally pressed Ctrl-Alt-Del to restart and then … they were off and away! LOL!

The weather played havoc through the day. There were multiple occasions that the safety cars were deployed, and other cars were pulled from the track to sit out the rest of the race.

It was the team of Jules Gounon, Martin Konrad, Kenny Habul and Luca Stolz who crossed the line first with an 8.7 second lead. They were in car 75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG. (note another 5 in the car number).

The Craft Bamboo Mercedes, car 91 was the next across the line. Daniel Juncedella, Kevin Tse and Maro Engel put in an incredible challenge to the leader in the last 2 hours of the race. It really was an intense extended battle to the finish line.

The third car to come across the line was also a Mercedes AMG, giving Merc a 1,2 & 3 on the podium. This was the 888 car from my favoured team Triple Eight Race Engineering, driven by Supercars defending champ Shane Van Gisbergen, Broc Feeney and Prince Jefri Ibrahim.

It was an incredible race and im already looking forward to its return next year. Good thing is it is expected to run in its usual schedule of February, so I don’t have to wait a full year!!!!