The first round of the 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship is done and dusted, as the Superloop Adelaide 500 proved to be a massive success once again.
While the Championship’s two races provided fans with plenty of entertainment through late race drama and brilliant racing, there was just as much action taking place in the event’s five support categories.
Dunlop Super2 Series
Supercars’ second tier saw an epic two-way battle take place across three races, with Brodie Kostecki claiming the outright victory over Thomas Randle.
Behind the wheel of the Holden Commodore VF, Kostecki got off to the better start between the pair with victory in the weekend’s first two races, while Randle finished just behind him in both.
Despite Kostecki finishing in third place behind Will Brown, Randle’s race win wasn’t enough as he fell just two points short of Kostecki. Brown ended the weekend a further 20 points behind.
The series’ next round will be part of the Tasmania Super400 in April.
Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup
Cooper Murray enjoyed the perfect start to his second season in the one-make series, with the Victorian claiming maximum points during the category’s three races.
From qualifying on pole position, through to three straight victories over David Wall, who finished runner-up for the weekend, it was no easy feat for the 2018 Michelin Sprint Challenge runner-up, as less than a second separated the duo in each race.
Less than a second separated Murray and David Wall across each of the three races. Despite Wall’s best efforts to challenge for victory, Wall was left content with runner-up for the weekend.
Rounding out the podium was another Michelin Sprint Challenge graduate, with Aaron Love securing third thanks to three top five finishes. Stephen Grove and Michael Almond shared top honours in the Pro-Am class.
The next round of the popular Porsche series will feature as part of a mammoth line-up at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix on 12-15 March.
Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters
A win and two runner-up placings were enough for Adam Bressington to secure a round win in the category, which saw a number of drivers fighting it out for a podium finish.
The Camaro driver started off strongly with a victory over Jason Gomersall and Jim Pollicina, before Ryan Hansford guided his Holden Torana to wins in TCM’s final two races over Bressington.
In what was a weekend full of casualties, both Hansford and Bressington were the only two drivers to score solid points as a number of drivers ended up with DNFs. Consistency saw Steve Johnson place third outright for the weekend in the debut of the Ford Falcon XD, despite his best result being a fifth place.
The category will join the National Trans Am Series at the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships at Sydney Motorsport Park on 27-29 March.
National Trans Am Series
The inaugural round of the National Trans Am Series saw Queenslander Aaron Seton claim a clean sweep of race victories in the brand-new series.
While the Ford Mustang pilot proved too good for the 19 other competitors, comfortably picking up three wins, the battle for second place was a much closer affair with just six points separating four drivers.
Nic Carroll ended up winning the battle thanks to three top five finishes as he steered his Chevrolet Camaro to second place ahead of Ford Mustang drivers Jimmy Vernon, Hugh McAlister and Matthew MacKelden.
It was a tough weekend for Camaro drivers Brett Holdsworth and Nathan Herne, with the duo both ending the round with two podium finishes and a DNF, which ultimately cost them valuable points.
The series’ second round of the year will be part of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships in March at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Stadium Super Trucks
Robby Gordon has won Stadium Super Trucks’ return to the Superloop Adelaide 500, with the American finishing just two points ahead of Australian Matt Brabham.
Barely anything separated the two as Gordon came away with the victory thanks to a race win and two runner ups, as opposed to Brabham’s race win and two third placings.
Rounding out the podium was Toby Price after the off road superstar enjoyed a podium in his first race and a top five finish.
Stadium Super Trucks now heads across the Pacific Ocean for its second round in California on 17-19 April.