Supercars Darwin: Cam Waters takes first win of 2026 as Ford sweeps high 5

Cam Waters and Tickford Racing have put a tricky mid-season behind them with a primary win of the season within the first of three Supercars races at Hidden Valley in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Within the first-ever Friday race on the Darwin circuit, Waters and his Ford Mustang got here from fourth on the grid and pitted later than early chief Brodie Kostecki (Dick Johnson Racing Ford) to take the lead at Flip 1 and are available dwelling to a slender victory, in a race that featured a one-lap sprint to the flag after a late security automotive.

“A protracted laborious slog, for certain,” mentioned Waters, whose victory ended a 47-race winless streak. “We haven’t had the perfect begin to the 12 months however now we have been there or thereabouts.

“I assumed he [Kostecki] was going to make it a bit bit more durable for me however I had a more energizing tyre. Wonderful to get a win, it has been a tough 12 months.”

In unseasonably cool circumstances (it even rained flippantly in the course of the second a part of Qualifying), Kostecki took the early lead from the Crew 18 Chevrolet Camaro of Anton De Pasquale – the pair shared the entrance row for the fifth time of their careers. Each misplaced positions within the race, with the Grove Racing Fords of Kai Allen and Matt Payne pushing the 2023 champion again to fourth in a single fell swoop on lap 32.

Allen, who scored a podium on the observe a 12 months in the past, mentioned: “I really like this observe.

“I must get the qualifying a bit higher however the race automotive was actually good. I acquired to the again of Brodie’s rear bar and we tried to get a double podium, and it labored out.”

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Payne rued the loss a few seconds when a rear wheel caught throughout his pitstop.

“Kai was making the strikes for us,” he mentioned. “I assumed the automotive was fairly speedy however we simply had a hiccup in the course of the pitstop.”

Earlier, Kostecki shrugged off an issue together with his engine’s throttle physique, which stranded him within the storage for the opening quarter-hour of the only Observe session, and a bout of flu, to take pole place. However his automotive lacked the race tempo of the opposite Fords and he needed to accept fourth place on the end.

Will Brown took fifth for Triple Eight Racing, thereby giving Ford a sweep of the highest 5 locations at a observe that has beforehand featured solely Chevrolet wins in the course of the Gen3 period.

One of the best of the remainder was De Pasquale, simply forward of the Toyota GR Supra of Walkinshaw TWG’s Chaz Mostert. The defending Supercars Champion simply missed making the Qualifying reduce to the highest 10 session and began eleventh, earlier than passing team-mate Ryan Wooden on his technique to seventh.

Factors chief Broc Feeney, the winner of six of the eight earlier Gen3 races on the circuit, began from thirteenth on the grid after a tough qualifying session. He did his trigger no good in any respect by working off instantly when rejoining after his pitstop and complained of a scarcity of straightline velocity in the course of the race, ending 14th. Because of this, the 90-point lead he delivered to the occasion has been diminished to 59.

The Supercars groups and drivers will return to motion on Saturday and Sunday with two 70-lap, 200km races.

Ford Mustang S650
35

Okay. Allen Grove Racing

Ford Mustang S650
35

M. Payne Grove Racing

Ford Mustang S650
35

B. Kostecki Dick Johnson Racing

Ford Mustang S650
35

Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6
35

Toyota GR Supra
35

R. Wooden Walkinshaw TWG Racing

Toyota GR Supra
35