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The Supercars championship celebrated its 600th round at South Australia’s Bend Motorsport Park, as the premier Australian touring car category delivered fascinating racing and a plethora of narratives to weave into its six-decade history.
A perfect weekend for the championship leader and less than ideal one for his teammate and title rival, while a number of driver movements being confirmed were some of the key storylines at The Bend.
Fresh off his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis for Richard Childress Racing, Brodie Kostecki executed a perfect weekend in his Coca-Cola Camaro at The Bend, winning three from three.
The championship leader went largely untroubled across the trio of 20-lap sprint races, with two pole positions to his credit also. The fastest lap set in qualifying for Race 22 was a mighty 1:49.482, which was a record 0.423-seconds quicker than the second placed car.
Race 21 saw Kostecki struggle with a reported steering issue en route to his fourth win of the season. Maiden polesitter Thomas Randle in the Castrol Mustang pressured the 26-year old to the end of the race, but ultimately the Erebus car had enough speed to keep the win.
In the final race of the weekend, Cameron Waters in the sister Tickford car to Randle took the fight to Kostecki, however their attempt to undercut Erebus didn’t yield the result they were hoping for.
It was a contrasting tale for Kostecki’s teammate and championship rival Will Brown however, off the back of the news he’d be defecting to Triple Eight in 2024. A DNF in Race 20, then struggling in the back-to-back qualifying sessions on Sunday to only managing a pair of thirteenths in the races was a blow to the 25-year old’s title aspirations.
For Kostecki however, a 137-point margin to Red Bull Ampol Racing duo headed by Shane van Gisbergen, is crucial heading into the pair of endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst – where each race is worth 300 points.
The importance of classified finishes in the Supercars championship was highlighted again, with Will Brown’s position in the standings taking a hit during Saturday’s Race 20 following innocent involvement in a first corner incident.
Brown lost a whopping 100 points to teammate Kostecki, who won the 20-lap race from pole position and bolstered his standing at the top of the championship table. As well as dropping from second to fourth behind the Red Bull Ampol Racing duo.
Polesitter Kostecki was displaced from the lead heading into the first corner, as Ford duo Thomas Randle and Chaz Mostert nailed their starts from second and fifth respectively. Further behind is where chaos ensued, as Brown from eighth was spun around by Jack Le Brocq with Anton De Pasquale having to take avoiding action across the grass.
(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Le Brocq’s teammate Cameron Hill and Jack Smith in the SCT Logistics Camaro were collateral amongst the incident, though for Brown the ramifications were more severe. All three of those cars involved were not classified at the chequered flag.
Once the race went back to green flag running, following four laps under the Safety Car it wasn’t long before Kostecki retook the lead. First with a mighty pass on Mostert at Turn 6 and then on Lap 11 at Turn 17 passing Randle for the lead.
The compulsory pit-stops didn’t see a change with the top three, as it was the lap after Kostecki pitted on Lap 13 that Mostert made his move on Randle for second. There was contact, in the robust move at Turn 6 though despite investigation from Race Control – no further action was taken.
Waters was hot on the heels of his teammate Randle in the final stages of the race, though there was controversy when Tickford instructed the Monster Energy Mustang to not attack the Castrol Mustang ahead. A call that Waters was not happy with, but the team elated with a first solo podium for Randle and solid points from third and fourth.
Following a difficult weekend, with only a pair of thirteenths on the Sunday races, Brown comes out of The Bend with a 258 point deficit to teammate Kostecki.
The Blue Oval contingent has had a tough initiation into the Gen3 era of the Supercars championship in 2023, however The Bend SuperSprint weekend showed some positive signs for the Ford Mustang heading into the endurance races.
The high-downforce nature of the 5km Bend circuit puts great emphasis on a balance between aero and power, which from the outset in the first practice session saw five Mustangs in the top five.
Six podiums were the collective achievement for the Fords, with Randle in the Castrol Mustang achieving a hattrick for the first time in his career and the standout performer of the weekend. Teammate Waters, who was unhappy with Tickford’s team orders at the end of Race 20, did end up breaking his drought of podiums dating back to Newcastle with the runner up spot in Race 22.
Mostert meanwhile bagged another top three finish to complement his second place in Race 20, leaping up from sixth with an excellent start. And it wasn’t only the two-time Bathurst 1000 winner who made great starts for Walkinshaw Andretti United, as struggling teammate Nick Percat in Race 22 vaulted from fourth to second heading into Turn 1.
While the championship very much is the hands of their Chevrolet rivals, this rise to form for the Fords comes at a key point in the season with the Sandown 500 and legendary Bathurst 1000 on the horizon and worth their own weight in accolades.
Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates in Chicago. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
‘Well off he goes then,’ is probably the common reaction to the news that van Gisbergen will indeed pursue his long-awaited desire in 2024 to race in NASCAR. But it is a move that signifies a lot more.
Yes, the public dissatisfaction with the state of the Gen3 technical regulations from the three-time Supercars champion and supposed reticence to adapt his driving style in the way the likes of Kostecki and Brown have done with ease at Erebus, is also an easy donkey to pin the tail on.
But those who’ve followed SVG’s career long enough know he’s someone who likes to race and will race anything. His first season for Red Bull in Supercars back in 2016 was dovetailed with a Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup title, as well as a Bathurst 12 Hour win also in a McLaren – on top of being crowned champion in Supercars.
He’s raced GT cars at Le Mans, Daytona the Nürburgring. Done rallying, the Toyota Racing Series. The list is awe-inspiring. So to decide, while still at the peak of his powers in Supercars as his compatriot Scott McLaughlin did to ply his trade full-time elsewhere is something deserving of all the praise in the world.
There are no illusions it’ll be an easy road, despite that sensational win on debut in the Cup Series in Chicago. Heck, he’s announced his departure from Supercars and doesn’t even know if he’ll be racing in NASCAR full-time yet or not. But it is taking the skills and talent that perhaps doesn’t get enough credit on our shores, as with McLaughlin – despite their statuses as multiple champions – and allowing a new audience to appreciate them.
Supercars will continue to spin on their own axis as expected, though as seen (or not seen) during the broadcast of the Newcastle 500, the sport ought to give more respect to one of its great champions of the modern era.
(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Heading into The Bend SuperSprint weekend, the Supercars silly season was in full swing with key dominos falling into place following the confirmation van Gisbergen would be moving Stateside in 2024.
First it was Erebus Motorsport announcing the departure of Brown, with Triple Eight confirming the Toowoomba-born driver as van Gisbergen’s successor on a three-year deal, to create an ultra-fascinating and youthful duo at the Red Bull Ampol Racing Team with incumbent Feeney.
Speculation was rife that two-time race winner Le Brocq would reunite with Erebus, for whom he was an academy and GT3 driver prior to his debut in Supercars. The 31-year old made his Supercars enduro debut with the then Mercedes-Benz equipped Erebus in 2015, where he co-drove with Ash Walsh.
This was confirmed on Friday, with Matt Stone Racing announcing Le Brocq’s exit and subsequent appointment from the Betty Klimenko owned squad. The length of the contract is still unknown.
Motorsport.com also broke the news Richie Stanaway is set to make his full-time return to Supercars, after a less than impressive two seasons in the main game with Tickford and then Garry Rogers Motorsport. The former GP2 and GP3 ace, as well as Aston Martin factory GT driver is set to join fellow Kiwi at Grove Racing – all but confirming David Reynolds’ exit.
It is still believed Reynolds will likely find a desired long-term deal at Team 18, alongside the already locked in Mark Winterbottom, meaning Scott Pye will be squeezed out. Other than MSR, the Tim Blanchard owned Cooldrive Racing is also on the market to replace Todd Hazelwood and rumours have been in the air regarding a downsizing at Tickford from four to two cars.
During the pre-event Team Principal’s press conference, both Charlie Schwerkolt of Team 18 and Bruce Stewart from Walkinshaw Andretti United indicated that their 2024 plans would be firmed up closer to the Sandown 500 next month.
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