Mark Winterbottom ends seven-year drought with Darwin victory

Team 18’s Mark Winterbottom claimed his first Supercars victory since 2016 in the opening race at Hidden Valley as early leader Cam Waters’ race was ended after a dramatic fire.

The 42-year-old last won a race at Pukekohe Raceway at the wheel of a Prodrive Ford, and drove a consummate race to edge Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Broc Feeney by just 0.456s at the flag.

Will Davison completed the podium in his Shell V Power Racing Ford Mustang, ahead of a recovering Brodie Kostecki for Erebus.

Waters became the seventh different driver to claim pole position in 2023 after topping qualifying, beating Feeney and Winterbottom.

James Golding had set the third quickest time but was demoted four places on the grid after the stewards judged he impeded another car.

Off the line, Waters maintained his advantage into the first corner, despite getting a less than ideal getaway from the dirty side of the road. Feeney, who got the superior launch was subsequently barged out of second place on the exit of turn one by the fast-starting Winterbottom.

Having endured a disappointing qualifying, Penrite Racing’s David Reynolds’ day got even worse as he overshot the first corner at the start of the second lap with a front-left puncture, while team-mate James Courtney was spun around at the final corner.

Waters had led Winterbottom by a little over a second but the Mustang driver reported a fire on his front-left wheel which quickly engulfed the Tickford machine at turn one. Flames licked out the side of the car on the exit of the corner, forcing Waters to pull to the side of the circuit.

The safety car was immediately deployed while Waters’ car was recovered and Winterbottom got the jump on the rest of the field once action resumed eight laps later. The early neutralisation also allowed all cars to make their mandatory pit-stop as well, albeit not without its own dramas as a stray wheel from Scott Pye’s Team 18 outfit ended up in the fast lane.

The team was investigated post-race by the stewards.

Winterbottom’s lead over Feeney stood at 1.281s, with Shell V Power Racing’s Will Davison moved up to third place ahead of Bryce Fullwood and the recovering Brodie Kostecki – who started 11th on the grid.

But his lead didn’t last long as the safety car came out for the second time in 17 laps, this time due to a grass fire as a result of Declan Fraser spinning on the exit of turn one.

The order remained largely unchanged at the second restart, but Winterbottom held a slender half-second advantage over the chasing Feeney, with Davison a further second adrift.

Feeney wasn’t falling back, however, and maintained the pressure on the back of the Team 18 machine as the race entered its final 10 laps. Davison, meanwhile, had a slender but comfortable margin over Fullwood’s Brad Jones Racing Camaro, with Kostecki just under half a second further back in fifth.

Kostecki then got down the inside of Fullwood at the final corner, and made the move stick for good by securing the apex at turn one for fourth, with five to go. That brought Shane van Gisbergen – who had started fourth but suffered at the opening restart, onto the back of Fullwood.

At the front, Winterbottom held onto his lead and resisted a final charge from Feeney to take victory.

Davison was a comfortable third ahead of Kostecki and Fullwood, who clung onto fifth amid pressure from van Gisbergen.

The big movers in the race were undoubtedly Erebus Racing’s Will Brown and Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert who charged through the field from 19th and 17th on the grid respectively. They finished together on the road, in seventh and eighth.

After topping practice, Shell V Power Racing’s Anton de Pasquale had started a disappointing 12th after missing out on the Top 10 Shootout, but rallied to finish ninth, with Tim Slade completing the top 10 finishers.

Race two at Darwin takes place tomorrow at 11:50 local time (04:20 CEST).