Triple Eight reclaims Supercars garage priority

The Ford homologation team leapfrogged two of its Blue Oval rivals in the teams’ championship with a consistent effort across the shortened Taupo event.

While neither T8 drivers were winners in the first of back-to-back New Zealand rounds, Broc Feeney scored a fourth and a second and Will Brown a second and fourth.

That was enough for T8 to jump ahead of Grove Racing and Tickford Racing, the latter having led the standings so far this season.

T8 now leads the standings with 1066 points ahead of the big mover in the pack, Walkinshaw TWG Racing.

Underpinned by its maiden win for Toyota thanks to Ryan Wood, who was joined on the Sunday afternoon race podium by teammate Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw is now second, 124 points adrift of T8.

Grove Racing slipped to third after failing to revive its Taupo form from a year earlier, although would still be second had it not been for a 30-point penalty picked up over the weekend.

The team was found guilty of both breaching personnel limits on Thursday, and conducting pit stop practice when not allowed, which led to a $750 fine and the points penalty.

Tickford dropped from top spot to fourth courtesy of a tough Taupo weekend, the team’s best individual result a ninth for Cam Waters in Race 2.

Dick Johnson Racing dropped from fourth to fifth, despite Brodie Kostecki winning Race 1, while Team 18 dropped from fifth to sixth, both demotions thanks to Walkinshaw’s rapid rise.

Despite lacking any headline results, Blanchard Racing Team was able to move past Matt Stone Racing for seventh, MSR slotting into eighth and Brad Jones Racing’s primary entries now ninth.

PremiAir Racing and Erebus Motorsport continue to anchor the standings in terms of the two-car teams.

Supercars teams’ championship standings after Round 3 (Melbourne SuperSprint)

1. Triple Eight – 1066 (up two positions)
2. Walkinshaw TWG Racing – 942 (up four)
3. Grove Racing – 935 (down one)
4. Tickford Racing – 890 (down three)
5. Dick Johnson Racing – 886 (down one)
6. Team 18 – 783 (down one)
7. Blanchard Racing Team – 665 (up one)
8. Matt Stone Racing – 651 (down one)
9. Brad Jones Racing (#8 & #14) – 627
10. PremiAir Racing – 461
11. Erebus Motorsport – 329
12. Brad Jones Racing (#96) – 244
13. Objective Racing – 183