Brown wrests Taupo win from Feeney

The latter led for much of the afternoon but came under heavy attack in the final stint of the 60-lap race and could not hold off Brown.

The two Triple Eight Racing Engineering Camaros were separated by 3.3585s at the chequered flag while the Shell V-Power Racing Team’s Anton De Pasquale claimed a distant third in his #11 Mustang and, with it, the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.

Pole-sitter Matt Payne finished fourth in the #19 Penrite Mustang, from James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) and Saturday race winner Andre Heimgartner in the #8 R&J Batteries Camaro.

In the drivers’ championship, Brown is now 71 points up on Feeney, with Triple Eight extending its teams’ championship points lead over Grove Racing to 481 points.

It had been an even start from the front row but Payne prevailed courtesy of the inside line at Turn 1, from Feeney (#88 Camaro), De Pasquale, Brodie Kostecki (#1 TFH Hire Services Camaro), Brown (#87 Camaro), Jack Le Brocq (#9 TFH Hire Services Camaro), Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang), Ryan Wood (#2 Mobil 1 Truck Assist Mustang), Tim Slade (#23 Nulon Camaro), Cam Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang), and Heimgartner in 11th.

Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) dropped from ninth on the grid to 15th on the opening lap while Payne was a second to the good after the first 3.32km.

Richie Stanaway (#26 Penrite Mustang) passed Heimgartner for 11th on Lap 8 at Turn 5 and then Mostert grabbed 12th on Lap 9 at Turn 1.

Brown went under Kostecki for fourth on Lap 9 at Turn 11 before Mostert took 11th off Stanaway on Lap 10 at Turn 4.

At the very front, Feeney had hunted Payne down and lunged the #19 Mustang at Turn 5 on Lap 11 but could not make the move stick.

He pulled it off exactly two laps later, and then De Pasquale overtook Payne on Lap 15 at Turn 1, by which time Feeney had scampered 1.7s clear.

Meanwhile, Mostert had forced his way into the top 10 and passed Waters for an effective ninth as they ran down the back straight, before Brown overtook Payne for third on Lap 16 at Turn 11.

De Pasquale pitted on Lap 18 from 2.6s behind Feeney, who was called in a lap later, then Brown, Payne, and Kostecki a lap later again.

Once Waters pitted from the official lead on Lap 22, Feeney led by 2.4s over De Pasquale, with Brown third from early-stopping Slade and Golding, yet-to-stop Aaron Love (#3 CoolDrive Mustang), Payne, Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang), Kostecki, and Le Brocq.

Mostert was back in 14th after a slow stop due to Erebus being set up next door when he came in, from Heimgartner and Waters.

Mostert was back in the top 10 on Lap 30 when he overtook Cameron Hill (#4 Supaglass Camaro) at Turn 1, by which time Payne had moved up to fourth.

Reports of very light rain in pit lane were certainly not having an impact on Triple Eight’s pace, with Brown catching and then passing De Pasquale on Lap 32 at Turn 11, at which point Feeney was 4.4s up the road.

Kostecki passed Golding for fifth and then Mostert got by Le Brocq for seventh at Turn 5 on Lap 35, as Brown closed within three seconds of Feeney.

It was less than two seconds by the end of Lap 37, although more than seven to De Pasquale, while Mostert took his second stop.

Kostecki was called in on Lap 39 and a drama changing the left-front not only elongated the stop but reportedly forced Erebus to revert to a spare tyre as opposed to a new one.

Feeney’s lead had shrunk to less than one second when he pitted on Lap 41, with De Pasquale following him in from eight seconds back.

A lap later, it was Brown’s turn and he resumed about 2.5s behind his team-mate.

Once Heimgartner stopped on Lap 43, the second cycle was all but done, with Feeney leading from Brown, Wood, De Pasquale, a yet-to-pit Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro), Mostert, Payne, Golding, Davison, Le Brocq, Heimgartner back in 11th, and Kostecki in 12th.

Payne pressured Mostert although the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver earned a reprieve when he got by Fullwood and Payne took a little longer to do so, before Wood made a third stop on Lap 46.

Brown was hauling Feeney in and they were nose-to-tail on Lap 47, with the call from the Triple Eight bunker being that were free to race.

Race they did, with Brown looking to the outside at Turn 11 on Lap 49, then giving Car #88 a nudge at Turn 7 on Lap 50, and showing the nose at Turn 5 on Lap 51.

Through all of that, De Pasquale still ran about 16 seconds behind, while Payne had passed Mostert for fourth on Lap 50 and Kostecki was back in the top 10.

On Lap 52, Feeney left the door open at Turn 5 just wide enough for Brown to squeeze the #87 Camaro through.

The championship leader needed just three laps more to extend his lead to a full second, and continue to pull clear.

Payne’s threat to De Pasquale fizzled towards the end while Golding got Mostert down the back straight on Lap 56 and then Heimgartner did so on Lap 58.

Mostert thus ended up seventh, with Le Brocq eighth and Waters ninth.

Kostecki took the chequered flag in 10th but a five-second time penalty, likely for a late touch with Stanaway, means he is classified 12th and Wood inherits 10th.

The next event of the Repco Supercars Championship is the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint, at Wanneroo Raceway on May 17-19.

Results: Race 8, ITM Taupo Super400

Drivers’ championship

Teams’ championship