This weekend marks the opening round of the Supercars Finals series, with hundreds of thousands of spectators expected to attend the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 this weekend.
Rookie Kai Allen was the 10th and final driver to lock himself into the Finals, and stated his position provides him with the mindset of having nothing to lose, in his effort to keep his Championship hopes alive this weekend.
The Grove Racing driver, teammates with newly-crowned Bathurst winner Matt Payne, has never raced on the unforgiving streets of the Gold Coast, but is eager to hit the track for the first time on Friday.
“For me I’ve never raced around here before, so there’s been a lot of learnings in the week after Bathurst to prep myself as much as I can for this round, analysing the track and spending a lot of time with the team,” Allen said.
“For me there’s no expectation, my biggest goal this year was to make the top 10, which I’ve done, so for now, there’s nothing to lose and it’s just going out there to enjoy it.
“If I do that, I’ve got a really good team and teammate around me to help steer me in the right direction. So I think we can have a really good result.”
Two-time Gold Coast winner Cam Waters is expected to be a threat this weekend, while Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Ryan Wood and Team 18’s Anton De Pasquale look to claim their first wins in the concrete canyon.
Waters’ Tickford Racing teammate Thomas Randle hopes to upgrade on a 2024 runner-up finish on the Gold Coast and score his first career win this weekend.
Gold Coast local James Courtney feels on top of the world ahead of his final full-time home race.
The 2010 Supercars Champion will hang up the helmet at the end of this season, closing the book on one of the most successful careers in Australian motorsport.
With over 600 career starts to his name, Courtney is the fourth-most experienced driver in Supercars history, and has been a household name in the category for well over a decade.
The pressure will be on all 10 finalists this weekend, with the lowest three scorers to be eliminated from the Championship at the end of the weekend.
Any finals driver who wins a race in Surfers Paradise will automatically gain entry into the Semi-Final at Sandown, regardless of their other result from the weekend.
The top 10 will also have to contend with 14 other full-time Supercars drivers with nothing to lose. Over half the field will look to play spoiler on the unforgiving street circuit.
The Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 takes place 24-26 October on the streets of Surfers Paradise, with live coverage available on the screens of the Seven Network, 7plus, Kayo, and Foxtel.
Schedule
Friday 24 October
1:40pm – 2:10pm: Practice 1
4:25pm – 4:55pm: Practice 2
Saturday 25 October
12:00pm-12:30pm: Qualifying (Race 28)
1:35am – 11:05am: TTSO (Race 28)
4:15pm: Race 28 (85 laps)
Sunday 26 October
11:00am-11:30am: Qualifying (Race 29)
12:35pm – 1:05pm: TTSO (Race 29)
3:10pm: Race 29 (85 laps)
Championship Top 10 after Bathurst 1000
Broc Feeney – 3175
Matthew Payne – 3145
Will Brown – 3096
Cam Waters – 3078
Brodie Kostecki – 3066
Chaz Mostert – 3057
Anton De Pasquale – 3048
Thomas Randle – 3039
Ryan Wood – 3030
Kai Allen – 3021
Entry List
Erebus Motorsport
#9 Chevrolet Camaro – Jack Le Brocq
#99 Chevrolet Camaro – Cooper Murray
Walkinshaw Andretti United
#2 Ford Mustang GT – Ryan Wood
#25 Ford Mustang GT – Chaz Mostert
Blanchard Racing Team
#3 Ford Mustang GT – Aaron Cameron
#7 Ford Mustang GT – James Courtney
Matt Stone Racing
#4 Chevrolet Camaro – Cameron Hill
#10 Chevrolet Camaro – Nick Percat
Tickford Racing
#6 Ford Mustang GT – Cameron Waters
#55 Ford Mustang GT – Thomas Randle
Dick Johnson Racing
#17 Ford Mustang GT – Will Davison
#38 Ford Mustang GT – Brodie Kostecki
Brad Jones Racing
#8 Chevrolet Camaro – Andre Heimgartner
#12 Chevrolet Camaro – Jaxon Evans
#14 Chevrolet Camaro – Bryce Fullwood
#96 Chevrolet Camaro – Macauley Jones
Team 18
#18 Chevrolet Camaro – Anton De Pasquale
#20 Chevrolet Camaro – David Reynolds
Grove Racing
#19 Ford Mustang GT – Matthew Payne
#26 Ford Mustang GT – Kai Allen
PremiAir Nulon Racing
#31 Chevrolet Camaro – James Golding
#62 Chevrolet Camaro – Richie Stanaway
Triple Eight Race Engineering
#1 Chevrolet Camaro – Will Brown
#88 Chevrolet Camaro – Broc Feeney
