Triple Eight Race Engineering has enjoyed a perfect start to the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship season as both of its drivers claimed a race win each at the season opening Thrifty Bathurst 500.
Broc Feeney and new recruit Will Brown were the star performers across the weekend, each securing a pole and a race win.
Brown was the first of the two to make his mark for the season with pole position in his first qualifying for the year, beating Feeney by just two tenths of a second.
And while he did get a good start to the race, it was Feeney who would claim race one honours after taking the lead during the first round of pit stops and never relinquishing it, despite a first ever full course yellow and a safety car finish.
That late safety car period ultimately allowed Feeney to cruise to his first win since the 2023 Penrite Oil Sandown 500, as Brown’s runner-up secured a Triple Eight one-two, while Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert rounded out the podium.
"I felt like I needed a win to get me going again," Feeney said post-race.
"Still haven't made up for [the 2023 Bathurst 1000], we'll be trying to chase that one in October.
"We had plenty of speed in that second stint, which was great... the car's really fast and I just want to go racing again, but I'm pumped to be here."
View race one results.
Brown wouldn’t have to wait long to register his first win of his maiden campaign with his new team as the Queenslander led the same top three to the chequered flag in the event’s second 250km race.
In what ended up an intense showdown between Brown and Mostert, the former snatched the lead after the two compulsory pit stops were complete, while Feeney was slapped with a five-second penalty after contact with PremiAir Racing’s James Goldingearlier in the race.
Just one second separated Brown and Mostert for the remaining 10 laps, and no matter how hard Mostert tried, he was unable to close the gap on Brown, who took the win by one and a half seconds.
With Feeney third, Brown took a clear lead at the top of the standings, capping off a dream start for his new team.
"It means a lot, first round with the new team. To get a win, to get a pole position this weekend, absolutely stoked,” 25-year-old Brown said.
"So, thanks to everyone at Red Bull Ampol Racing. I'm absolutely knackered. It was pretty hard out there.
"I had Chaz just pushing me along. I thought he is going to have a lunge at me somewhere and he is a hard racer, so just trying to keep a bit ahead. But God, he is quick down the hill, early days.
"It's a long year ahead. All these guys are driving great. So, we'll see where we end up."
View race two results.
Mostert’s two podiums saw him finish the weekend in third place just 12 points off Feeney, while Richie Stanaway and David Reynolds round out the top five on 192 points respectively.
While Supercars put on an entertaining display throughout the Thrifty Bathurst 500, so did the four support categories in action, which had a mixture of results.
In both the Dunlop Super2 and Super3 Series and the Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series, the eventual round winners swept their respective categories, with Kai Allen picking up two outright wins in Super2 and Joel Heinrich winning all three races in Aussie Racing Cars.
Doing double duties for the weekend, Heinrich also contested the Gulf Western Oils Touring Car Masters, but fell short of the round victory as series veteran Steven Johnson claimed two wins to Heinrich's one.
The closest battle for top honours out of the support categories belonged to the Tyrepower V8 SuperUte Series, where reigning champion Aaron Borg edged out teammate Adam Marjoram by just six points.
Both Team Motion Racing drivers finished the round off with two wins apiece, but it was Borg’s two runner-up finishes to Marjoram’s one that proved the difference.
The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship season will resume in March with the Beaurepaires Melbourne Supersprint to form part of the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix on 21-24 March.