It’s been an interesting start to the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, and once again, Red Bull Ampol Racing has emerged as a dominant force.
However, there are many who have popped their heads up as genuine challengers to the mighty Triple Eight squad.
The Repco Garage reflects on the lay of the land following the opening three rounds of the championship
The battle of the Bulls is intense
The pressure is on between the two Red Bull Ampol Racing drivers and there appears no let up. New recruit Will Brown holds the upper hand and after the Race 8 in New Zealand it was clear to witness. It’s delicately poised as the Brown and Broc Feeney push not quite to the limits in a no holds barred battle for supremacy. Can Feeney bounce back in Perth? If Taupo’s abrasive surface is anything to go by, the sandy banks of Wannaroo is also likely to suit the Triple Eight squad.
Parity is close, if not perfect
The ‘P’ word was the major talking point during Gen3’s inaugural season, but a new year has brought near-perfect parity between Chevrolet and Ford. Kudos must go to Supercars for going to Windshear and completing the necessary wind tunnel measures to bring parity between the two makes. While a Ford is yet to cross the finish line first in any race so far, it has largely been their own fault due to collisions between each other.
Which Ford driver is going to really stand up?
At Bathurst and the Grand Prix it was Mostert, in New Zealand Shell V-Power Racing Team’s pairing stood up, but which Ford star will rise consistently to bring the challenge to Red Bull Ampol Racing? Matt Payne has had glimpses, so too Cam Waters, Richie Stanaway and Thomas Randle, but there’s been no consistency. If the Repco Garage chose one, Mostert is best placed and surely in Perth Walkinshaw Andretti United can make some inroads. Although, that track has not been a happy hunting ground for WAU in recent years …
Live pit lane is actually really good
The live pit lane has definitely spiced up the championship and it was never more demonstrated than at Taupo. Having a tight pit lane ensured there were advantages to being placed towards the front end, whereas the midfield placed teams were severely harmed, especially when it came to pitting under Safety Car and the dreaded double stack. Perth is another venue where the positioning of pit booms will be important.
Underdog teams can’t be discounted
Matt Stone Racing and Brad Jones Racing have each taken a victory in this season’s title chase. The two underdog operations continue to punch above many other better funded or resourced operations proving the Gen3 formula is still a very open affair. On the Ford side of the ledger, the Blanchard Racing Team must lift following a tough opening trio of rounds.