Anton De Pasquale has given Chevrolet and Crew 18 their second win of the 2026 Supercars season with a convincing victory within the third and last race at Hidden Valley.
After ranging from third on the grid, De Pasquale made his first of two pit stops sooner than the opposite race contenders, undercutting the pole-winning Tickford Ford Mustang of Cam Waters, and even an extended, second pit cease couldn’t forestall De Pasquale from dashing to a successful margin of 1.4298 seconds in a race that completed behind the security automobile attributable to a late downside additional again within the area.
Grove Racing’s Matt Payne needed to twice come from behind to move Waters on the observe, attributable to a sticking wheel throughout his second pit cease, and his pursuit of De Pasquale was not aided by directions from his group to preserve gas. Payne maintained the hole over the closing laps however even because the main pair sped away from the opposition, he was by no means in place to problem for the win.
“We received it within the pits, which was superior. The boys stepped up after they needed to and the automobile taken care of its tyres,” stated De Pasquale after taking his first win for the reason that opening spherical of the season at Sydney Motorsport Park.
“We’re on our personal improvement path and we all know the place we wish to go. You can’t make large positive factors in a single day.
“It seemed like Matty [Payne] was actually quick and Cam got here again to me, and we acquired them within the cease. And my automobile was actually quick in clear air.”
Payne needed to be content material with second place and a decreased factors result in sequence chief Broc Feeney.
“I had a sense it was going to complete below security automobile,” he stated. “I made a rally good move within the first stint on Cam, I had my work minimize out for me to push proper via. I simply didn’t fairly have the tempo. Issues had been just a bit bit out of our management.”
Anton de Pasquale picked up his second win of the season in Darwin
Picture by: EDGE Photographics
Third place went to Waters. His Mustang didn’t fairly have the velocity of the main pair, and by the tip of the 70 laps his mirrors had been crammed by the Triple 8 Ford of Will Brown, who was very strong in the course of the race. His effort was backed up by team-mate Broc Feeney, who conceded the place to Brown with 12 laps remaining, after Brown the final of the highest 10 drivers to make his second cease.
“It’s a bit a tricky 12 months nevertheless it’s good to have a constant weekend,” stated Waters.
“I had an important begin and I used to be making an attempt to have a great race. However we didn’t fairly have the tyre life at the moment. We’ll take that into the subsequent spherical.”
The Triple 8 duo completed forward of Kai Allen. Saturday’s race winner began exterior the highest 10, however his Grove Racing Mustang gained a powerful six locations in the course of the race, on his option to sixth.
Chaz Mostert was having a greater day than on Saturday, making the High 10 Shoot Out and operating seventh till his Walkinshaw TWG Toyota GR Supra suffered a blown engine with six laps to go. Little consolation for the group could be that Ryan Wooden moved up a place to seventh with Mostert’s demise.
There have been two drivers that didn’t compete within the race. The results of Brodie Kostecki’s ongoing virus, plus an obvious again damage, noticed him rule himself out on Sunday morning. Endurance co-driver Todd Hazelwood, who was current to drive within the Trans Am races, stepped into the Dick Johnson Racing Ford and completed a strong twelfth in his mate’s absence.
Thomas Randle drove his Tickford Racing Ford in Qualifying however the after-effects of his failed cool swimsuit in Saturday’s race led him to withdraw. Mark Winterbottom, who an hour earlier than the race, as a TV commentator, was speculating who may be on standby, was instantly activated to race for the group for which he is because of drive on this season’s endurance races.
The outcomes imply that Feeney leaves Darwin on 1390 factors, simply 15 away from Payne. Kostecki’s absence that Waters’s type have moved the Tickford man to 3rd general, forward of Allen. De Pasquale strikes to sixth general.
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The Supercars groups will proceed their conventional winter northern swing on the streets of Townsville in two weeks’ time.
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