The opening day of the Supercars Adelaide Grand Final produced plenty to talk about, with New Zealand drivers featuring strongly across all sessions as the leading title contenders traded blows.
Practice:
Final practice ran under threatening skies, but the track stayed dry long enough for the field to push hard. Ryan Wood was the standout Kiwi, jumping to the top of the times late in the session with a 1:19.4096s and briefly holding the benchmark.
Matt Payne and Andre Heimgartner also settled inside the top 10. They looked comfortable, while Jaxon Evans continued to improve with each run as he gained valuable laps around the street circuit.
Cam Waters ended up quickest overall after a late run, but most eyes were on Chaz Mostert mid-session.
After setting fast early times, the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver clipped the inside at Turn 8 and bounced into the outside wall. His team repaired the car quickly enough for a systems check, but he dropped to 20th.
The title contenders were well represented near the front. Points leader Broc Feeney dipped into the 1:18s, Brodie Kostecki wasn’t far behind, and Will Brown recovered from a slow start to move into the top 10. By the end of practice, all 24 full-timers were covered by less than a second.
Qualifying:
Qualifying brought another shuffle, and once again the New Zealanders were competitive. Matt Payne set the early tone with a 1:19.8788s in Q1, and Ryan Wood continued his strong day by advancing comfortably into the final session.
The battle for pole was closely fought between the usual suspects.
Feeney ultimately came out on top, securing his 17th pole of the season and breaking Scott McLaughlin’s single-season record.
Mostert recovered well from his practice incident to line up alongside him on the front row, with Waters and Kostecki next.
The big talking point for Kiwis came late in the session. Andre Heimgartner was on a strong lap when his R&J Batteries Camaro slowed with a problem, leaving debris on the track.
The incident hindered those behind him. Kostecki hit the wall, Waters ran off the road, and Heimgartner was forced to settle for 10th instead of a likely front-row position.
Wood ended up the best of the New Zealanders, qualifying inside the lead group. Payne and Evans will start further back after a busy and unpredictable final run.
Will Brown again struggled to find clean laps and ended up 12th, adding pressure to his championship defence, while Kai Allen kept his title hopes alive with seventh.
Race 33 –
A sodden Adelaide Parklands Circuit set the scene for the opening race of the Supercars Grand Final, with torrential rain forcing the cancellation of the preceding Super2 qualifying session and more heavy showers looming on the radar.
At the start, Broc Feeney and Chaz Mostert launched side-by-side in a drag race to Turn 1, the pair trading bumps as Feeney muscled his way into the lead. Cam Waters settled in behind them, followed by Brodie Kostecki and rookie Cooper Murray.
Drama struck almost immediately. Thomas Randle tagged the rear of Will Brown at the exit of Turn 9, spinning the championship contender to the back of the field on the opening lap. Race control swiftly issued Randle a 15-second penalty for the incident.
Up front, Feeney and Mostert continued their ferocious duel, Mostert briefly slipping past at Turn 9 before a steering lock-up handed the spot straight back.
On Lap 3, Feeney ran wide at Turn 4 and speared into the runoff, allowing Mostert to take control while Kostecki pounced, grabbing second. Waters soon joined the reshuffle, losing out to Kostecki as the race order stabilised.
Kostecki wasted no time attacking Mostert, blasting past on the back straight later on Lap 3. Mostert opted not to defend too aggressively so early in the treacherous conditions, handing Kostecki the race lead.
Murray’s afternoon took a turn on Lap 4 when he clipped the inside wall, was tagged by Waters, and ended up facing the wrong way. Waters was handed a 15-second penalty of his own for the contact.
After eight laps, the leading Kiwi was Ryan Wood, up to fourth after a tidy start and showing excellent poise in the wet. Matt Payne sat seventh, Andre Heimgartner ninth and Jaxon Evans 14th.
Wood continued his charge, diving underneath Feeney at the final corner on Lap 10 to snatch third. Feeney didn’t resist, choosing not to risk a fight in the conditions.
Further back, Will Davison emerged as the biggest mover—up 15 spots, with ten gained on pure pace and wet-weather craft, the remainder coming via those who had already pitted or been caught up in incidents.
By Lap 13, Kostecki had stretched his advantage to two seconds over Mostert, with Wood another six seconds adrift in third. Feeney, now fourth, trailed by more than ten seconds.
Meanwhile, Brown began his recovery drive, climbing to 12th, though many of those positions were provisional as he still owed a stop.
The race took another twist with 11 laps remaining when Randle slammed the Turn 8 wall, bringing out the Safety Car. His car suffered heavy damage, and he reported aquaplaning in the worsening conditions.
The impact dislodged part of the concrete barrier, prompting a forklift onto the circuit to assist with repairs. Those yet to pit did so under Safety Car and gained significant time.
Kostecki retained the lead at the restart queue, followed by Mostert and Wood. WAU executed their double-stop perfectly, spacing their cars well enough to avoid stacking.
But as rain intensified and standing water formed rivers across the circuit, officials suspended proceedings under a red flag. The race switched from laps to a time-certain format.
With repairs at Turn 8 unable to be completed safely, the event was ultimately declared.
Kostecki was confirmed the winner, his third victory of the season, pocketing a $50,000 payday. Mostert secured second, while Wood’s third delivered a double podium for Walkinshaw Andretti United.
The result is pivotal for the championship: Mostert slashed his deficit to Feeney to just 13 points heading into Sunday, with Feeney finishing fourth and fellow title contender Kai Allen rounding out the top five.
Payne, Heimgartner, Anton De Pasquale, Brown and Davison filled positions six through ten, while Evans completed the Kiwi contingent in 13th.
Attention now turns to tomorrow: qualifying for Race 33 begins at 12:35pm, followed by the Top 10 Shootout at 3:05pm and the race itself at 5:45pm (all times NZST).
Header Image: Supercars
