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Supercars Melbourne 400 key talking points

(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Roar Guru
25th March, 2018
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They’re no longer just another undercard to the Formula One circus for the Australian Grand Prix, because Supercars completed its second round of their 2018 championship at the Albert Park grand prix circuit – racing for championship points for the first time.

400km of racing indeed produced plenty to digest and here are some of the key talking points from the Supercars Melbourne 400.

Scott Pye breaks through for maiden Supercars victory
Only six races into the new season and already we have contender for feelgood moment of the year, with Scott Pye breaking through to at last become a race winner in Supercars.

Having capitalised on a mistake from Scott McLaughlin in the 25-lap Race 5 late on Saturday, Pye managed to remain composed in the lead as he braved the elements and a hard charging Jamie Whincup.

The decision to remain on slick tyres when the rain hit late in the race, was also vindicated as through the darkness the Walkinshaw driver was able to take the chequered flag for his maiden win and the team’s first since Sandown in 2016.

Having been faced with adversity throughout his young career, Pye’s emotional victory at last saw a driver that has shown flashes of excellence finally be rewarded with the top prize.

Better yet, the presence of the team’s co-owner in McLaren Formula One boss Zak Brown would have also been a rewarding experience – signalling progress the team has already made with the new partners on board.

Regardless of how the season pans out, Pye’s first Supercars win will definitely be one of the highlights.

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McLaughlin makes history in first points race
Scott McLaughlin took out the chequered flag in the first ever race for championship points at Albert Park, after a close battle with 2017 title rival Jamie Whincup.

The elevation to championship status immediately yielded a reward, with the compulsory pit-stop and longer race distance proving the pivotal turning point in the opening race of the Supercars weekend.

It was following the pit-stop that after losing the lead of the race, did McLaughlin manage to reel in Whincup and take back the top spot, before cruising to the chequered flag and notch up his first win of the season.

The Kiwi’s win also put to rest (for now) the debate around the composite panels and how they were giving the Red Bull Holden Racing Team an unfair advantage, with the Ford outfits having updated their cars this weekend with new panels too.

Difficult weekend for points leader Van Gisbergen
Having come into the Melbourne 400 weekend as points leader following his dominant display in Adelaide, Shane van Gisbergen endured another inconsistent weekend which had proved to be his undoing in 2017.

The 2016 Supercars champion showed his class in the wet conditions of Race 4 to climb his way up to fourth, however setup issues proved the Kiwi’s undoing in all the qualifying sessions – having qualified outside the top-fifteen for the final two races.

A pair of thirteenth place finishes in those races were salvaged for the former series champion and in fact allowed the Kiwi to retain his lead in the championship by a slender 49-point margin.

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Though with how competitive the championship is set to be, any off-weekends such as this may prove costly in the title race, meaning that van Gisbergen cannot afford any more losses.

Four different winners from four races
Supercars’ first foray to the Australian Grand Prix weekend for championship points was met with a quartet of high intensity and competitive racing, ultimately yielding four different winners from the four races.

McLaughlin made the history as already stated, winning the first ever long-distance race for points at Albert Park, while Whincup, Pye and David Reynolds for Erebus all visited the winner’s spot on the podium.

Whincup was the winner of the round with his haul of points and became the inaugural recipient of the Larry Perkins Trophy, though in terms of championship table…

And that’s a result of the added incentive of points being on offer and the yield of four different winners, already creating a bit of a mixture in the direction in which the 2018 title race is headed.

Van Gisbergen retains his lead, but 49-points behind is Reynolds now and 61-points adrift is McLaughlin. All four winners from this weekend within 107-points of each other, all in the top-six.

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