Opinion
From the narrow streets of Newcastle to the fast and flowing bends of Albert Park, it was a sight to see the Supercars championship supporting the Australian Grand Prix once again and with the new Gen3 cars.
It was certainly interesting to see the new cars tested on a more aero-sensitive circuit, compared to Newcastle and there was plenty of action and drama to dissect. Here are the key takeaways and talking points from the Supercars’ Melbourne SuperSprint.
Reigning Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen endured a rocky start to his title defence in Newcastle and his start to the Melbourne SuperSprint was just as challenging, with a high-speed crash during opening practice.
The Kiwi lost control of his Chevrolet Camaro coming out of Turn 7 and dropping a wheel off the track. What followed was a sequence of spins, before coming to a rest with front and rear damage. Van Gisbergen visibly shaken by the incident.
However, with the car repaired ahead of the quickfire qualifying sessions for Races 3 and 4, the three-time champion punched in the third quickest and then the fastest lap – before going on to win the opening Race 3.
Making the race-defining move for the lead on Lap 3, van Gisbergen passed polesitter Anton De Pasquale before commanding the race through the pit-stops and taking successive wins ahead of Erebus duo Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown.
Pole sitter De Pasquale ended up sixth behind championship leader Chaz Mostert, after a pit-stop drama thwarted the Shell V-Power Mustang’s opportunity to rebound from a difficult Newcastle 500 with a potential podium.
Shane Van Gisbergen (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Erebus’ Kostecki has at last broken through for that maiden Supercars victory, however it has come in one of the most bizarre races seen in the championship with only 2 racing laps completed of the scheduled 8.
Originally there were to be 15-laps, however a crash laden F3 qualifying beforehand meant that the Supercars race had to be cut short, prior to the second practice for Formula One.
Kostecki took the win ahead of James Courtney, who returned to the podium and polesitter van Gisbergen, who was displaced by the Erebus cars at the start of the race – with Brown leaping into the lead.
The Safety Car interrupted and then saw the finish of Race 4 at Albert Park, with Courtney having punted David Reynolds into the gravel at Turn 1 on the first lap and then on Lap 7, Jack Le Brocq crashing at Turn 7.
Courtney however was handed a 30-second time penalty post-race for that incident with Reynolds, booting him off the podium ultimately and promoting Broc Feeney to third. Van Gisbergen took the runner up spot.
The youngster who took an emphatic maiden Supercars win at the Adelaide 500’s closing 250km stanza at the end of 2022, continued his fine run of form with his second win in the final race of the Melbourne SuperSprint – but also a first pole position to precede the win.
Feeney at 20-years old also became the youngest ever polesitter in Supercars, with a 1:47.768 lap ahead of Mostert in the Mobil 1 Optus Mustang. The Red Bull Camaro commanded the victory ahead of Andre Heimgartner and the impeccable Kostecki – who took the lead of the championship after another troubled race for Mostert.
Kostecki too, won the Larry Perkins Trophy – awarded to the driver who accumulates the most points at the end of the Grand Prix support event. The Erebus driver claimed a second victory in Saturday’s Race 5.
A disappointing finish for Heimgartner’s teammate Bryce Fullwood though, who was in podium contention after starting fifth but then was hit with a 15-second time penalty for a pit-lane unsafe release. This was the second consecutive penalty for the same infringement for the Brad Jones racer in successive days.
The Camaro locked out the top five positions, with van Gisbergen fourth and Le Brocq taking Matt Stone Racing to the soaring heights of fifth. Ford’s best placed driver was Will Davison for Dick Johnson Racing in Race 6.
The reliability of the Gen3 cars, in particular the Ford Mustangs have come into question after two unexplained car fires on the Mustangs of Percat in Race 4 and then Courtney in Race 5.
Courtney was the latest victim on the opening lap, when the front-end of his Snowy Rivers Caravans Mustang became engulfed in flames – making for a spectacular sight as he entered the pit-lane. Thankfully, like the Percat fire was safely extinguished with no injuries caused.
Both incidents led to the decision being made to start the final race of the weekend as a rolling start, something not seen for the category at this track since 2014 – when Supercars was still considered non-championship. Supposedly the cars sitting on the grid for a period of time could be a contributing factor.
With the damage caused to Courtney’s Mustang, the Tickford team were forced to scratch the car from Sunday’s Race 6. The car being dispatched back to the outfit’s headquarters in Campbellfield.
It was a weekend of domination for the Camaro, with no Mustang finishing higher than fourth in all four of the races. That despite a front-row start for Mostert in Race 6, with the two-time Bathurst 1000 winner having ceded lead of the championship too.
While this was more a talking point in the aftermath of the Newcastle 500 and Supercars CEO Shane Howard has clarified the category’s stance on driver criticism on Gen3, it still feels pertinent to share this discourse surrounding van Gisbergen’s infamous post-Race 2 media comments.
“I did my talking on the track,” was the premeditated response to all media following van Gisbergen’s sensational overhauling of Mostert in Race 2 at the Newcastle 500. At first it was thought to be in response to the Race 1 disqualification of both Triple Eight cars – however it was found after that the champ may have been told to zip it on the Gen3 criticisms.
Van Gisbergen and Penrite Racing’s David Reynolds have been the most vocal in raising concerns and criticism over the all-new Gen3 cars. Obviously not what Supercars management and stakeholders such as former champion, turned commentator Mark Skaife want to hear – given too that the five-time champ is also a Supercars board member.
Skaife called out van Gisbergen for not being enough of an ambassador on the broadcast after Race 2, but by that same token – isn’t the Kiwi using his mantle of champion and ambassador to provide a valuable and constructive critique on Gen3?
Sure, getting to the point where a full grid of Gen3 cars are finally on track and racing has been an arduous one – and full credit to all those responsible for making it happen – but this is motorsport and developing and evolving is a core fundamental. Without feedback like from the organic matter piloting the cars, why not just sit still and wait for the proverbial meteor strike and another dinosaur can go extinct?
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Team Penske is under the same umbrella of ownership as the IndyCar Series itself, so it was imperative for to drop the hammer and protect their integrity—which, thankfully, they did.
Red Bull can’t rest on its laurels and if Perez can’t provide them with cover on the rare days that Verstappen is having trouble, it's time to look elsewhere.
The absolute vitriol against the Canadian that has come from the incident is beyond reprehensible.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is the Monaco of American motorsport, and this past weekend, the IndyCar Series reminded everyone exactly why. We witnessed…
New Zealand made a triumphant return to the Supercars championship calendar since the demise of the much-loved Pukekohe Park Raceway – as Taupō delivered…
It’s time that serious questions are asked of his Lance Stroll and his future in the team.
