The Truck Assist Sydney SuperSprint saw a fairy-tale ending, as Jack Le Brocq led a fresh-faced podium in the round’s final race.
In his first ever Virgin Australia Supercars Championship victory, a smart strategy from Tickford Racing saw Le Brocq claim top honours over Andre Heimgartner and Todd Hazelwood.
Right from the get-go, the Le Brocq was performing well and stayed within reach of pole-sitter Heimgartner and the other front runners, before his key moment came during the compulsory pit stop when he managed to make the most of the undercut to grab
the lead and hold onto it for the remainder of the race.
The result didn’t come easy for Le Brocq, as Heimgartner was also in the hunt for his first ever victory and the young Kiwi applied a heap of pressure until the very end but Heimgartner had to settle for second - an impressive and equal best ever
finish in second.
After becoming the 72nd official race winner in Supercars/Australian Touring Cars history, a stunned Le Brocq was thrilled he was able to hold on for his maiden victory.
“I don’t know how it feels. It hasn’t really sunk it yet. I don’t know what to feel,” Le Brocq said straight after the race.
"The guys at Tickford have given me an awesome car and the opportunity to try and prove that we can do the job. The last five laps, I was in trouble and I was just holding on and Andre kept us honest there. It was unreal.
“Thank you to everyone who got us here. I’m over the moon. These guys (Tickford) have been amazing. They are teaching me so much. I feel like I have learnt a lot over the last couple of years.”
As for Hazelwood, after starting the race outside the top 10, the South Australian worked his way up the field thanks to hanging on to two very fresh sets of soft tyres. Hazelwood made his way through the field, before eventually scraping past David
Reynolds on the final lap to secure his first ever Supercars podium.
Earlier in the day, Hazelwood’s Brad Jones Racing teammate Nick Percat won his second race in as many rounds where he comfortably claimed victory over Fabian Coulthard.
The duo had started the race alongside each other on the second row and battle hard during in the race’s earlier stages, with Percat pinching third on the opening lap.
Percat and Coulthard then pipped Scott McLaughlin not long after, with their patience, consistency and fresher tyres saw them replace race leader Shane van Gisbergen when he went in to the pits.
From that moment, Percat comfortably led the field for the rest of race, building a solid gap over Coulthard and eventually crossing the chequered flag more than eight seconds ahead.
“The start was mega,” Percat said post-race.
“Credit to Fabs because we raced each really hard and I think we over and undered each other a few times. It was mega. Credit to BJR, Brad and everyone in the team.
“They backed the way I looked after the tyres so we could do a strategy like that as well.
“You know you have to get it done properly with Shane because he is someone who commits. But we have a lot of respect of each other.”
Like the day's final race, it was an epic battle for final podium spot, which involved Scott McLaughlin, James Courtney and Rick Kelly, however McLaughlin just edging past Courtney on the line in what was a photo finish.
It was a good weekend for Saturday’s race winner McLaughlin, securing the round win and further building on his overall Championship lead thanks to solid tyre management and excellent driving over the event’s entertaining three races.
The Virgin Australia Supercars Championship now leaves Sydney Motorsport Park after two consecutive rounds and heads to Darwin for the BetEasy Darwin Triple Crown on 8-9 August.