Ford’s breakthrough victory has come in Race 17 at the 2023 NTI Townsville 500, with Shell V-Power Racing Team’s Anton De Pasquale bouncing back from a DNF yesterday to take a dominant win at the Reid Park Street Circuit.
It was the first time a Mustang took the chequered flag first since New Zealand in 2022, with Cam Water – who started today’s race from pole – the last official Ford winner after a third place became first after the disqualification of both Red Bull Ampol Racing Camaros at the Newcastle race in March.
With six of 12 rounds now complete, the battle at the top has some serious spice. Erebus Motorsport’s drivers remain first and second in the standings, but Will Brown’s Saturday win saw him take the orange numbers from team-mate Brodie Kostecki.
They’re first and second, but Brown (1357) leads Kostecki by only seven points (1350) – with the overall round winner, Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney, only 19 points back (1331) – with a race win typically 150 points, and that’s before the big points hauls on offer at this year’s Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 enduros are considered.
See the full Drivers’ and Teams’ Championship Tables here.
Round 7 of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship, the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight, takes place on July 28-30.
Images: InSyde Media