A familiar face at the top of the podium twice in one weekend, a record attendance and a variety of conditions provided a strong start to the Repco Supercars Championship season for 2026.
Three different car manufacturers will feature in the 2026 Supercars Championship, headlined by Toyota joining the grid alongside Ford and General Motors, as fans flocked to Sydney Motorsport Park for the season opening Dunlop Sydney 500.
Results-wise it was Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Broc Feeney who quickly launched himself to the top of the standings, picking up where he left off following a historic 2025 year and claiming two out of three wins for the weekend in his new Ford Mustang GT.
Opening night belonged to Feeney. In a milestone result for the team, Feeney converted a bold strategy call to claim the team’s first win for Ford since 2009.
After undercutting the front-running Blanchard Racing Team Mustangs in Pit Lane, Feeney controlled the end of the race to outlast Aaron Cameron and James Golding in what was a superb weekend for the two BRT machines, both securing podiums.
Saturday night produced another thriller as Anton De Pasquale claimed his first win for Team 18 in an exciting back and forth with Brodie Kostecki.
De Pasquale was able to stay cool under pressure to win by just 0.36 seconds, capping a breakthrough moment for the Chevrolet squad.
Feeney struck back in Sunday’s finale to reclaim the championship lead following a fierce wheel-to-wheel fight with rising star Kai Allen.
The conflict had the crowd on edge before Allen suffered a steering failure late in the race. Safety cars and penalties also set the stage for a spectacular charge from Cam Waters, who fought hard as far back as 20th to finish on the podium.
This year’s Sydney 500 attendance observed a 14 per cent increase on the 2025 event, underscoring the growing appeal of Supercars’ night race format and the strong momentum in the early stages of the new season.
Supercars Chief Executive James Warburton was grateful for the commitment from the Supercars fan base.
“To see a record crowd at Sydney Motorsport Park for the opening round of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship is something we’re incredibly proud of,” Warburton said.
“On behalf of Supercars, I want to thank everyone who came out to be part of this special weekend and helped us kick off the season in such a phenomenal way.”
The Repco Supercars Championship heads to Albert Park for the Melbourne SuperSprint from March 5-8, serving as a support category to the Australian Grand Prix.
