Brown dominates Race 8 in Erebus one-two

Will Brown has taken a dominant victory in Race 8 of the Repco Supercars Championship at Wanneroo Raceway while Brodie Kostecki made for a first ever Erebus Motorsport one-two.

Save for the pit stop cycle, Brown led for all but the short run to the first corner of the 42-lap encounter at the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint and Brodie Kostecki was similarly second-placed for the latter 41 laps after an early move on David Reynolds.

However, 6.2563s separated the two Coca-Cola Camaros when the chequered flag flew, with Tickford Racing’s James Courtney (#5 Snowy River Caravans Mustang) finishing third at 3.4969s further back.

Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) ended up fourth, Shane van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) salvaged fifth from ninth on the grid, and Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) took sixth.

Rounding out the top 10 were Todd Hazelwood (#3 CoolDrive Mustang), Cameron Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang), Matt Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang), and Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro).

James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) earned the fastest lap bonus points on his way to 11th, from Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro), Broc Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro), and Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang).

Kostecki has extended his drivers’ championship lead to 88 points over Mostert while Erebus is even further clear of Triple Eight Racing Engineering in the teams’ standings.

At lights out, Reynolds got the slightly better start from the outside of the front row but pole-sitter Brown (#9 Camaro) held on to first spot courtesy of the inside line.

Kostecki (#99 Camaro) had gained a position from the outside of Row 2 and he was into second place at the start of Lap 2 after getting down the inside of Reynolds back at Turn 7, with the two Erebus Camaros separated by one second.

Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) then went for a move on Reynolds at Turn 7 on Lap 2, but locked a brake and clattered into the #26 Mustang, taking both wide.

Courtney thus assumed third, from Mostert, Davison, and Payne.

De Pasquale had dropped to seventh, one position ahead of van Gisbergen, but would soon be issued a 15-second time penalty for a driving infringement.

Waters had quickly jumped from 15th on the starting grid to 11th, before passing Hazelwood on Lap 3 and Tim Slade (#23 Nulon Camaro) on Lap 10, while Reynolds was struggling in 12th with a long brake pedal after Car #26 apparently ingested sand when it was knocked wide by Car #11.

Van Gisbergen picked off De Pasquale for seventh at Turn 7 on Lap 15 and when the Dick Johnson Racing driver slipped wide as he rounded Turn 1 on Lap 18, Waters forced his way through.

Brown, meanwhile, was stretching his legs, with Car #9 three seconds to the good when the sister #99 entry was called into the lane for fresh working side tyres at the end of Lap 20.

Van Gisbergen had just overtaken Payne for an effective sixth when the rookie pitted on Lap 21, with Courtney, Mostert, and Davison all into the lane in the next two laps.

Brown ceded the lead when he pitted on Lap 25 and was followed into the lane by van Gisbergen, with the trend of side tyres only continuing.

Brown emerged multiple seconds up on Kostecki and thus safely still in the effective lead, while van Gisbergen had rejoined behind Payne again.

After 29 laps, the compulsory pit stop cycle was done, with Brown 2.7s up on Kostecki, from Courtney, Mostert, Davison, Payne, van Gisbergen, Hazelwood, Waters, Fullwood, Heimgartner, and Reynolds in 12th.

Feeney sat 14th after qualifying 21st, while De Pasquale was last of those on the lead lap in 24th after serving the time penalty in his pit stop.

Van Gisbergen passed Payne for sixth on Lap 32 at Turn 7 while Slade parked the #23 PremiAir Racing entry in the infield after his gearstick failed while running 13th.

Van Gisbergen gained one more spot when he went under Davison at ‘Kolb Corner’ (Turn 6) on Lap 41, by which time Hazelwood and Waters had both got by Payne also.

De Pasquale got home in 22nd and Slade managed to be classified a finisher in 24th.

The final race of the weekend is due up at 15:45 local time/17:45 AEST.

Full Race 8 results here.

Drivers’ championship

Teams’ championship