In one of the most thrilling Supercars finishes in years, Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters snatched victory in the second Sydney race, edging out Broc Feeney in a dramatic drag race to the line.
The race start saw Waters seize the lead from Feeney, with Matthew Payne making a stunning move from sixth to third by Turn 1. Behind them, chaos erupted. Ryan Wood stalled on the grid, dropping him to last. Then, a chain reaction involving Nick Percat, Jaxon Evans, and James Golding led to Golding spinning at Turn 2. Percat later received a penalty for his part in the incident. Further on in the lap, rookie Kai Allen would spin Aaron Love at Turn 7, with Love able to continue, keeping the race under green.
The race then settled for a few laps before Richie Stanaway’s PremiAir Racing Camaro succumbed to engine failure on Lap 8, triggering a safety car after Stanaway’s car halted at Turn 3.
The entire field would then pit for their first stop. Waters initially led Feeney into the pits, but an ill-timed entry by Will Brown would slightly delay Waters, allowing Feeney to take the lead. Further back, Wood and James Courtney made contact while battling for pit lane position; with Wood receiving a drive-through penalty for the contact.
The restart saw Feeney leading from Waters and Payne, with Brown close behind. Payne held off Brown for a few laps before yielding on Lap 23, dropping to back fourth.
Meanwhile, Waters relentlessly pressured Feeney, the tension building as the laps ticked down. The pivotal moment came on lap 31 when Feeney pitted for his second stop. Waters’ team gambled, making a last-second decision to keep him out, betting on fresher tyres in the final stages to help Waters through on Feeney.
Feeney set a blistering pace on his new tyres, while Waters, running long, was battling with his. However, the team eventually made the call to bring Waters in on Lap 34. He rejoined in fourth, behind Brown and Chaz Mostert but with a sizable gap to Feeney. Within a few laps, Waters cleared the two cars ahead, then began his charge on the leading Feeney.
He quickly closed the gap, and with six laps remaining, Waters had caught Feeney. Then at Turn 4 on Lap 49, he made an aggressive move for the lead, hitting Feeney and sending him into a spin. This dropping Feeney back to third, behind Waters and Brown. Waters then skillfully allowed Feeney back into the lead without letting Brown through as well. Holding Brown back through Turns 5 and 6, as he let Feeney back past, this re-establishing the original order: Feeney, Waters, and Brown.
The final laps saw intense racing, with Feeney defending valiantly. Then on the last lap, with the final corners looming, Feeney appeared set for victory. But a defensive move on his part into the second-to-last turn gave Waters the opening he needed, allowing him to dive down the inside at the final corner. The two cars made contact, yet Feeney clung on to a slight advantage. Waters, however, used the momentum to pull alongside the Camaro. The race then became a breathtaking drag race to the line, with Waters side-drafting Feeney. In a heart-stopping finish, Waters’ Mustang edged ahead at the line, winning by just 0.03 of a second.
Brown finished a close third, followed by Mostert and Payne. Andre Heimgartner finished eighth, while Evans secured a remarkable tenth-place finish—only his second top-ten result in Supercars. Wood recovered from his early setback and penalty to finish twentieth. With Stanaway the only retirement of the race following his engine failure.
The Supercars action continues later today with qualifying and another Top Ten Shootout before the third and final race of the weekend at 6:05pm NZT.
Header Image: Tickford Racing Facebook
