Supercars’ return to New Zealand set to sell out

Supercars has announced that the Saturday and Sunday of April’s ITM Taupō Super400 have sold out, with limited tickets remaining for the Friday.

The event taking place April 19-21 will be Supercars’ inaugural visit to Taupō and the championship’s first in New Zealand since 2022, with general admission and grandstand seating for Saturday and Sunday already sold out.



“The uptake and interest in our first-ever event in Taupō has been incredible,” said Supercars COO Tim Watsford.

“And we can now confirm that we have sold out of grandstand and general admission tickets for both Saturday and Sunday of the event.



“There are still tickets available for Friday, which will be special in itself when Supercars hit the track in Taupō for the very first time. We will also hold a full-field signing session so fans can meet their favourite drivers, and all of our support categories will also be on-track in an action-packed and historic day.



“The response to this event has been overwhelming, and we are beyond excited to head across the ditch in a few short weeks for what will be a very special inaugural ITM Taupō Super400.”



Alongside the Repco Supercars Championship, the one-make Porsche Carrera Cup series will also make the trek across the Tasman, while locally-based series’ in Central Muscle Cars, the Toyota 86 Series NZ and Formula Ford NZ will also compete.



Reigning Repco Bathurst 1000 winner Richie Stanaway is the lead Kiwi in the championship, the Tauranga-native sitting sixth ahead of 21-year old teammate and fellow countryman Matt Payne in seventh. They will be joined on the grid by fellow New Zealanders Jaxon Evans, Andre Heimgartner and Ryan Wood, giving local fans five homegrown heroes to support.


Brown wins Larry Perkins Trophy in Camaro sweep of Melbourne

Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Will Brown has won the Larry Perkins Trophy and taken the championship lead following four sprint races at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, as Ford’s challenge came unstuck with some friendly fire across the event.

Brown and teammate Broc Feeney won three of the four races in Melbourne – two to Feeney and one to Brown – but Brown prevailed in the race for the Larry Perkins Trophy with a more consistent run across the weekend.

Nick Percat overcame the Triple Eight challenge in the fourth and final race of the weekend, taking victory for the first time with Matt Stone Racing.

The Chevrolet Camaro remained undefeated in 2024 with six wins from six races, as Ford entrants cost themselves the chance of victory with a series of incidents in Melbourne.

Matt Payne and Cameron Waters made contact at the final corner in the early stages of the third race of the weekend while battling for the lead, sending both cars into the fence.

Payne was leading in the fourth race when he was hit in the rear by Chaz Mostert, with both Mustangs falling down the order. Payne did score two podiums in the first two races, with Mostert third in the third race. Also scoring a podium was Mark Winterbottom with second in the second race.

Brown now leads the championship by 17 points from Feeney with Mostert, Percat and David Reynolds rounding out the top five.

The next event on the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship calendar is the ITM Taupō Super400 on April 19 to 21 – Supercars’ return to New Zealand.

New format to crown Darwin Triple Crown winner

Supercars will update the format and track schedule for June’s Darwin Triple Crown to ensure if a driver is to win the title they must be fastest on track across all three days of the event.

The new format will see Boost Mobile Qualifying for Saturday’s race shift to a Friday afternoon session.

To win the 2024 Darwin Triple Crown a driver must now be fastest in the Friday qualifying session and win both Saturday and Sunday races at the famous Hidden Valley circuit.

The original 90-minute practice slated for Friday will now drop to a 60-minute session before Friday’s qualifying, while a new 30-minute practice will be added to Saturday morning’s program, prior to Saturday’s Boost Mobile Top 10 Shootout.

The race format will remain the same, two 137km races with one compulsory pitstop and at least two tyre changes per race per car.

Supercars general manager of motorsport Tim Edwards said: “By moving the Qualifying session to Friday afternoon, there’s something to drive for every day of the event, which is what fans want to see.

“Darwin is one of our marquee events on the calendar and we think this format adds another dimension to the on-track product.”

The Triple Crown has proved elusive to win since being introduced in 2006, in fact it has only ever been won twice. Scott McLaughlin (2019 – Saturday race win, Sunday pole position, Sunday race win) and Jamie Whincup (2020 – most points accumulated from three races) remain the only two drivers to have ever won the Triple Crown.

Date change for Sandown 500

Supercars has announced that the 2024 Sandown 500 will be brought forward a week to September 13 to 15.

In a statement Supercars said: “The Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) has recently advised Supercars that Sandown cannot meet the operational needs of a Supercars event at the date originally announced as part of the 2024 calendar.

“Supercars while working with the MRC have agreed to bring the 60th celebrations of the Sandown 500 forward a week to September 13-15.

“The date change provides the greatest opportunity for Supercars to deliver the best possible event that showcases the rich history of the Sandown 500.”

Erebus confirms Hazelwood for Melbourne

Todd Hazelwood will continue in the #99 Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro in place of Brodie Kostecki at the Melbourne SuperSprint.

Erebus Motorsport confirmed Hazelwood will continue driving the entry for the second event of the 2024 season, after debuting with the team at the season-opening Thrifty Bathurst 500.

Hazelwood was announced as Kostecki’s stand-in for the Bathurst event prior to the first test day of the season.

“Erebus Motorsport remains firmly committed to respecting Brodie’s privacy and we are unable to provide further updates at this time,” an Erebus statement reads.

“Todd Hazelwood will continue to represent the team in car 99 at the Australian Grand Prix event.

“We would also like to express our thanks for the support we’re received in recent weeks. Your messages mean the world to us.”

Triple Eight dominates Bathurst season opener

Triple Eight Race Engineering topped every session of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship season opener, the Thrifty Bathurst 500, with a win apiece for Broc Feeney and new recruit Will Brown.

The win in Race 1 was Feeney’s seventh career victory. He was followed across the line by his new teammate Brown. Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert was best of the rest and leading Ford entry in third.

Behind the top three was defending Repco Bathurst 1000 champion Richie Stanaway on debut with Grove Racing. Fifth was Matt Stone Racing’s Cameron Hill, the best result of his career, while Hill’s new teammate Nick Percat was sixth ahead of Brad Jones Racing’s Bryce Fullwood, Team 18 debutant David Reynolds and the Kiwi duo of Andre Heimgartner and Matt Payne, who rounded out the top 10.

After an early-race tangle that led to a penalty in Race 2, Feeney was forced to settle for third with Brown taking the victory ahead of Mostert.

Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle was in fourth place ahead of Golding with Reynolds, Payne, Erebus Motorsport new recruit Jack Le Brocq, Percat and Will Davison rounding out the top 10.

Tickford’s Cameron Waters endured a torrid weekend with a wheel falling off in Race 1 and a lowly 16th place in Race 2.

The full-time rookies also suffered at Bathurst with a double retirement for Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Ryan Wood, while the Blanchard Racing Team’s Aaron Love made contact with the wall in both races.

“Yeah, it means a lot, first round with the new team. To get a win, to get a pole position this weekend, absolutely stoked,” said Brown after his first event with Triple Eight.

“It’s a long year ahead. All these guys are driving great. So we’ll see where we end up.”

The second round of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will be the four-race Melbourne SuperSprint as part of the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix from March 21 to 24 .

Boost Mobile new backer for Supercars’ pole award

Supercars has expanded its partnership with Boost Mobile for the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship season, with Boost Mobile backing an increased prize pool for pole winners to $100,000.

The official telecommunications partner of the Repco Supercars Championship and naming-rights sponsor of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 has become the naming-rights sponsor of Supercars and Dunlop Series qualifying.

Starting with the Thrifty Bathurst 500, qualifying sessions for Supercars and Dunlop Series will be known as Boost Mobile Qualifying, with the pole sitter to be awarded the Boost Mobile Pole and a cash prize for topping the time sheets.

As an added incentive to drivers, the cash prize for the driver who claims pole position will increase considerably this season, with pole sitters for the two Supercars races at this weekend’s Thrifty Bathurst 500 receiving $5000.

The pole position winner of the Repco Bathurst 1000 will in 2024 receive a new $15,000 cash prize and the end of season Boost Mobile Pole Champion will receive $25,000.

“Boost Mobile’s expanded presence in Supercars reflects our commitment to delivering unparalleled experiences for the fans and support for the world class talent of the Supercars drivers,” said Jason Haynes of Boost Mobile.

“Excitement, adrenaline, and speed are traits that are aligned to Boost Mobile and Supercars, and we plan to continue pushing the envelope when it comes to showcasing the best in this great sport.

“We are very excited to sponsor Boost Mobile Qualifying, and I am looking forward to handing out the first Boost Mobile Pole cheque this weekend to our first pole sitters of 2024.”

New-look Erebus Motorsport breaks cover

Erebus Motorsport has revealed its new look for the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, announcing TFH Hire Services as primary partner.

Following the controversy around the split with Brodie Kostecki and departure of title sponsor Coca-Cola, Erebus Motorsport is the last team to reveal its new look for 2024 ahead of the season-opening Thrifty Bathurst 500.

The team also confirmed Todd Hazelwood will run the #99, after running the #1 in testing.

The two cars will also carry backing from BIC, Grays, Pedders Suspension and Brakes, Lincoln Electric, Oz Wide Hire, and the Australian Army.

“The support of TFH coming into the Bathurst 500 has been invaluable and really lifted spirits,” said Erebus team principal Brad Tremain.

“We’re stoked Brett and everyone at TFH Racing not only share our passion for the sport but believe we can go out there and continue where we left off in 2023.”

TFH Hire Services CEO Brett Thomas added: “We’re pumped to add Supercars to that list, especially to be working with the awesome crew at Erebus Motorsport.

“We can’t wait to support Jack, Todd, and the whole team here at the Mountain as they show Supercars fans they’re here to race.

“We’re hoping this is just the start of a long and successful partnership. The cars look mega and we can’t wait to get both Jack and Todd out there on track.”

Tickford Racing reveals its two liveries

Tickford Racing has unveiled the liveries for its two entries, with the Ford team downsizing to two Mustangs for 2024.

Naming-rights partners Monster Energy and Castrol will again return on the cars of Cameron Waters and Thomas Randle respectively. After departing the reigning champions Erebus Motorsport, Coca-Cola has appeared on the rear quarter of Randle’s Mustang.

The team also confirmed Waters and Randle will run the #6 and #55, which carry over from 2023, meaning the team won’t run the #5 for the first time since 2016.

Following the departure of long-time CEO Tim Edwards, Tickford Racing will be led by Simon Brookhouse.

“As we gear up for the opening event, we invite everyone to join us in celebrating the start of what promises to be an exhilarating season,” says managing director Rod Nash.

“Tickford Racing is not just a team; it’s a community of passionate individuals united by the love of speed, competition, and the pursuit of victory.

“We thank all our working team for the preparation of our race cars and every other element that will be on display at track and at our race centre.

“Many thanks also to our existing partners and a huge welcome to our new sponsors. Our attention has a long view about the full year, but next week it’s all about the opening event.”

Johnson steps up into Super2 with NAPA

Third generation racer Jett Johnson will step up to the Dunlop Super2 Series category in 2024, competing with AIM Motorsport in an ex-Tickford Racing Gen2 Ford Mustang with the backing of NAPA Auto Parts.

The new drive is another step in his rise through the motorsport system. Johnson won the 2022 TA Muscle Car Series before taking second place in last year’s Dunlop Super3 Series driving a Nissan Altima.

In 2024, Johnson returns to a Ford – the brand that is synonymous with his family’s legacy – and is excited about the season ahead.

Johnson will be part of a two-car Mustang team under AIM Motorsport, with Zane Morse driving the second car. Renowned engineer Erik Pender will tune Johnson’s Mustang each race weekend.

“It’s great to continue my motorsport journey with NAPA Auto Parts into the Dunlop Super2 Series,” says Johnson.

“I tested the Gen2 Mustang at Winton recently and it was really fast. It’s the best race car I have ever driven and I’m really looking forward to the season.

“Last year was terrific to learn the circuits in a Supercar, understand how to get the most out of the tyre in qualifying and really prepare myself for the next step into Super2.

“It’s a big step, but it’s a challenge that I’m ready for. This simply isn’t possible without the support of Titan Caravans, NAPA Auto Parts, all of my other partners and of course my family. They have my back and I’m really excited for the 2024 season.”