Feeney wins Darwin opener, Mostert charges from 22nd to 5th

Broc Feeney led home Mark Winterbottom and teammate Will Brown for victory in the opening race of the Darwin Triple Crown at Hidden Valley Raceway.

The Red Bull driver took the lead off pole-sitter James Golding at the Turn 6 hairpin on Lap 4 of 47 and pulled clear for a comprehensive 8.6763 victory over Winterbottom.

Winterbottom, who qualified third, followed Feeney past Golding as the Nulon Racing entry was run wide to move to second.

Brown remained with the lead group through early proceedings and jumped Golding for the final podium spot in the pit window.

Chaz Mostert charged from a disappointing qualifying result of 22nd to finish fifth, behind Golding, gaining an incredible 17 positions on track.

Cam Waters followed the #25 Mustang as he charged deep into the top 10 to cross the line sixth, but contact with Anton De Pasquale while working his way past earned him a 5-second penalty that dropped him to 10th post-race.

David Reynolds, Nick Percat, Andre Heimgartner and Anton De Pasquale completed the top ten.

Penrite Racing teammates Richie Stanaway and Matt Payne placed 14th and 15th, respectively, while Ryan Wood placed 20th and Jaxon Evans placed 21st.

Wildcard Cooper Murray set the fastest lap on his way to 22nd, but his race was compromised after he spun early in proceedings on contact from Evans, which saw the Kiwi penalised 15 seconds.

Brodie Kostecki was the race’s only non-finisher. An issue believed to be with his starter motor affected the Erebus entry on the formation lap.

Once the race went green, Golding and Feeney ran side-by-side into Turn 1, with the Nulon Racing Camaro hitting the front with the inside line.

Mostert was a big early mover and climbed five spots on the opening lap alone.

The field ran line-astern in single file over the following laps, with Golding retaining the lead.

Feeney made his move on Turn 6 on Lap 4 with a dive down the inside, hitting the front and bumping Golding wide.

Winterbottom followed through to second, with Golding dropping from the lead to third at one corner.

Evans and Murray came together on Lap 7, with the wildcard entry tagged into a spin at Turn 1. Evans was awarded a 15-second penalty for the contact, which he served in the pit window.

A lockup from Anton De Pasquale on Lap 11 saw him run wide at Turn 1 and drop out of the top 10 to 11th, with Heimgartner and Stanaway inheriting a place to eighth and tenth, respectively.

By the end of Lap 11, Mostert was 14th.

Up front, Feeney slowly built an advantage over the field in clear air and was over two seconds to the good of Winterbottom by Lap 15.

Wood was the first to come in for his compulsory pit stop on Lap 16, with a flat spot on his front left. Stanaway was the first amongst the top ten to box the following tour, and Payne followed a lap later.

Golding, Percat and De Pasquale stopped on Lap 22, with the pole-sitter briefly held in his box for traffic in the pit lane.

That benefited Brown, who stopped on Lap 23, along with Mostert, and climbed to a net third when he exited pit lane.

Feeney ran until Lap 29 before stopping and returned to the track with a 1.6-second advantage over Winterbottom.

Winterbottom initially ate into this advantage, but Feeney eventually began to pull clear and continued to do so until the chequered flag.

Mostert moved into the top ten with a pass on Payne on Lap 31, with Waters in tow, but with a five-second penalty awarded for nudging De Pasquale wide on his way through.

On Lap 33, the Walkinshaw Andretti United Mustang then got past Stanaway before making short work of Slade, Heimgartner, Percat and Reynolds.

His charge ended at fifth, with Golding holding on for fourth by just four-tenths.

There was late drama towards the back of the field, with Thomas Randle and James Courtney coming together. The bodywork of the two Mustangs interlocked, and Randle spun while Courtney’s right rear punctured. The duo returned to the pit lane for repairs without requiring any Safety Car intervention.

Supercars return at 12.55 pm NZST on Sunday for qualifying, ahead of the Top 10 Shootout at 2.05 pm and the race at 5.40 pm.

Supercars Darwin Race 1 Results

Header Image: Red Bull Ampol Racing