Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!
On the 4th to 6th March was the Beaurepairs Sydney Supernight. It was the first event the 2022 Supercars Championship. It’s great to see the Supercars back. Lets hope we don’t get a repeat of last year and there are no Covid interruptions to the events calendar.
It was great to see Riana Crehan returning the Fox broadcast as pit lane reporter. She spent last year working in Super Bikes. Charli Robinson hands back the mic after filling in for her. It is a shame to see Charli leave. Both women are great reporters. I wish we could have them both at Fox.
Mark Winterbottom’s slipped past a personal milestone. This weekend was his 561st and 562nd race in Supercars.
Nathan Prendagast head of TV at Supercars is leaving in June to take skill set to an international level. He has been with Supercars for 18 years and has only missed 3 events in that time. A sure sign of his dedication.
TV BOSS TO LEAVE SUPERCARS – Auto Action
In the pre-race sessions:
- Anton de Pasquale was fastest in Practice 1
- Chaz Mostert was fastest in Practice 2
- Anton de Pasquale was fastest in Qualifying and the Top Ten Shootout.
In race 1 Anton de Pasquale started on pole position alongside him was defending champion, Shane Van Gisbergen.
Anton de Pasquale led into turn 1. Shane Van Gisbergen hot on his tail tried to get up the inside between turns 2 and 3 but couldn’t manage to find the space.
David Reynolds ran wide onto the grass between turns 4 and 5. The cars further back in the pack were trying to keep up with the leaders.
On lap 8 Scott Pye had another power steering drama like he had in the last race for 2021 at Bathurst. He was able to drive back to the pits but moments after pulling up the car caught FIRE! Scott Pye jumped out of the car so quick. If he had been that fast at the start line he would be in the lead. LOL. But truly, glad no one was hurt. Unfortunately, he was out of the race. The only one to receive an NC (Not Complete).
Meanwhile in the middle of the pack drivers were still battling for position. Thomas Randle found the space to get down the inside of car 56 driven by Jake Kostecki. Cameron Waters also found the opportunity to pass Nick Percat.
In the early stages Shane Van Gisbergen was running 2nd to Pasquale. He was on a 3 stop strategy compared to everybody else who did the 2 mandatory stops. By the middle of the race he picked the right time to pass Anton de Pasquale for the lead.
With every lap Shane Van Gisbergen seemed to be edging further ahead. He was looking strong and confident. It seemed if he could make it to the end of the race without error he was sure to win.
The defending champion held his place and continued to increase his lead. It was soon obvious he was out of reach from other drivers.
In spectacular form he continued to increase the gap from the others. By the time he crossed the finish line he nearly had a 20 second lead. It was an incredible win for him.
Next across the line was Anton de Pasquale followed by the other fast driver on the day, Chaz Mostert.
Results for Race 1
1st Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Ampol Racing.
2nd Anton de Pasquale – Shell V-Power Racing Team.
3rd Chaz Mostert – Walkinshaw Andretti United.
For the second race of the weekend, Chaz Mostert was fastest in the Qualifying session which meant he was on provisional pole position. That is to say, he had the advantage to be the last driver for the Top 10 Shootout.
However, it was Brodie Kostecki who earned pole position for Race 2. His maiden pole in Supercars. Alongside him was Anton de Pasquale.
Shane Van Gisbergen was 21st on the grid due to getting held up by other cars in Qualifying.
At the start of the race Anton de Pasquale lead the opening laps with Brodie Kostecki right behind him.
The cars further back in the pack were jostling for position. Chaz Mostert had gained 2 places, 7th to 5th and Shane Van Gisbergen went from 21st to 15th.
While Shane Van Gisbergen was aggressively marching forward, he ran wide and left the track. He didn’t realise until later that he had a puncture. The tyre change cost him valuable time. On return from the pits he was 1.6 laps down. A big blow for the defending champ.
By the middle of the race Chaz Mostert was affectively the leader after moving up from 5th to 1st with 3 cars in front who were still yet to pit.
The speed that Chaz Mostert showed at end of last season to win the Bathurst 1000 was still there. From the moment he had the lead to the end of the race he held position to the finish line. He was over 3 seconds ahead of Brodie Kostecki, followed by Anton de Pasquale.
Defending champion, Shane Van Gisbergen who was 1.6 laps down in the early stages, made an amazing recovery to finish 6th! OMG!
Results for Race 2
1st Chaz Mostert – Walkinshaw Andretti United.
2nd Brodie Kostecki – Boost Mobile Racing.
3rd Anton de Pasquale – Shell V-Power Racing Team.
Chaz Mostert is now the championship leader by 12 points. The first time in his career to earn the right to display the orange (leader) numbers on his car. Congratulations!
The next event is the Ned Whiskey Tasmania Supersprint on March 25th to the 27th 2022.
if you enjoyed reading my article you might be interested in my vlogs on Youtube.