After two consecutive weekends in Darwin, the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship has reached the halfway point of its four week blitz and has moved east for the next two weeks.
With drivers and teams beginning to arrive in Queensland for the NTI Townsville SuperSprint at Reid Park, motorsport.org.au previews some of the key details ahead of the first of the back-to-back Townsville events.
Support categories back
Supercars will have to share the circuit this weekend with two categories confirmed as support acts.
With the Queensland borders closed, the Championship has turned to local categories to fill the void this weekend, giving grassroots competitors the rare opportunity to compete on the national stage.
Joining Supercars for the NTI Townsville SuperSprint will be the Townsville Tin Tops powered by motorsportsales.com.au and the North Queensland Supersprints.
A combined sedans category featuring a mix of Porsche Carrera Cup cars, Porsche GTs, sports sedans, MARC cars, Super3 and V8 Touring cars, the Townsville Tin Tops will have one practice and qualifying session, as well as a three races, while competitors in the supersprint category will enjoy five 20 minute sessions during the round.
Less is more for shootout
With Supercars having been the only category in action over the past few rounds, outside of July’s Truck Assist Sydney SuperSprint when the combined Dunlop Super2 and 3 series were also on show, there was the desire to give tv audiences more track entertainment.
Therefore, the decision was made to extend the weekend’s first race qualifying session and add five more drivers to the popular Top 10 Shootout, making it a three-part qualifying system where 15 drivers would eventually fight it out one-by-one for pole.
Whilst the three-tiered qualifying session will continue, the traditional ARMOR ALL Top 10 Shootout will return this weekend as just 10 drivers will head into the final session where they will have one lap to qualify for pole.
Like previous rounds, four cars will be eliminated at the end of the first session, leaving 20 drivers to battle in the second session, before the top half of the field progress into the shootout.
2019 Watpac Townsville 400 results
Race 1
Pole: David Reynolds
Winner: Scott McLaughlin
Runner-Up: Jamie Whincup
Third: Chaz Mostert
Race 2
Pole: Cameron Waters
Winner: Shane van Gisbergen
Runner-Up: Fabian Coulthard
Third: Cameron Waters
Championship Top 10
Scott McLaughlin – 1324 points
Jamie Whincup - 1147
Shane van Gisbergen – 979
Chaz Mostert - 972
Nick Percat - 915
Cameron Waters - 893
Mark Winterbottom - 890
David Reynolds - 872
Fabian Coulthard - 862
Lee Holdsworth – 845
The Grid
#2 Holden Commodore ZB - Bryce Fullwood
#3 Holden Commodore ZB - Macauley Jones
#4 Holden Commodore ZB - Jack Smith
#5 Ford Mustang - Lee Holdsworth
#6 Ford Mustang - Cameron Waters
#7 Ford Mustang - Andre Heimgartner
#8 Holden Commodore ZB - Nick Percat
#9 Holden Commodore ZB - David Reynolds
#12 Ford Mustang - Fabian Coulthard
#14 Holden Commodore ZB - Todd Hazelwood
#15 Ford Mustang - Rick Kelly
#17 Ford Mustang - Scott McLaughlin
#18 Holden Commodore ZB - Mark Winterbottom
#19 Holden Commodore ZB – Alex Davison
#20 Holden Commodore ZB - Scott Pye
#22 Holden Commodore ZB - Chris Pither
#25 Holden Commodore ZB - Chaz Mostert
#34 Holden Commodore ZB – Zane Goddard
#35 Holden Commodore ZB - Garry Jacobson
#44 Ford Mustang – James Courtney
#55 Ford Mustang - Jack Le Brocq
#88 Holden Commodore ZB - Jamie Whincup
#97 Holden Commodore ZB - Shane van Gisbergen
#99 Holden Commodore ZB - Anton De Pasquale
Supercars Schedule
Saturday 29 August
9.15-9:35am – Rookie-only practice
9:55-10:25am – Practice 1
11:15-11:45am – Practice 2
12:40-1:55pm – Armor All Top 10 Qualifying Race 19
3:50-4:48pm – Race 19
Sunday 30 August
11:00-11:10am – Qualifying Race 21
11:20-11:30am – Qualifying Race 22
1:25-2:23pm – Race 20
3:50-4:48pm – Race 21
(All times are marked as local Australian Eastern Standard Time)