After six years, Supercars returned to the well-known ‘Paperclip’ circuit because the upgraded Queensland Raceway was met with massive crowds and frenetic racing.
The Ipswich Tremendous 440 was additionally the conclusion of the Dash Cup portion of the 2025 Supercars championship.
Feeney secures the Dash Cup
There was no denying the 22-year-old the inaugural Dash Cup, coming to Queensland Raceway with a mighty 220-point lead over Crimson Bull Ampol Racing teammate Will Brown.
And Broc Feeney wasted little time in securing it, alongside together with his eleventh win of the season in Saturday’s Race 23 – commanding the 39-lap dash from pole place.
Brown, who began on the entrance row together with his teammate, was displaced firstly by a charging duo in Ryan Wooden and Kai Allen. Not even a four-tyre cease might give the reigning Supercars champion the grip wanted to safe a podium within the opening race.
Penrite Racing’s Allen and Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Wooden accomplished the highest three in Race 23, to additional bolster their prime ten aspirations within the standings too.
Feeney’s Dash Cup victory has secured the teen a berth within the Finals sequence, as a consequence of start following the Enduro Cup. With an additional 25 factors to his profit as soon as the highest ten sq. off on the Gold Coast 500.
Broc Feeney. (Picture by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Photos)
Brown snaps winless streak
It beggared perception that the reigning Supercars champion had been with no win since Race 6 through the Australian Grand Prix help spherical in March; nevertheless, that will be devaluing the efforts of the peerless Feeney.
Brown did snap this winless streak in Race 24, capitalising on a uncommon error from his Crimson Bull teammate to take his second win of the season in additionally his one hundred and fiftieth Supercars race.
Feeney was penalised for an unlawful begin, with the Dash Cup winner caught transferring inside his grid field previous to the lights going out. He had led into the primary nook over Wooden, who shared the entrance row with the Crimson Bull Ampol Camaro, because the Kiwi coated compatriot Richie Stanaway into Flip 1.
Chaos ensued within the midfield on the first nook, because the Security Automobile was triggered following the approaching collectively of Jaxon Evans, Jack Le Brocq, Aaron Cameron and former Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki.
5 seconds was to be served within the single pit-stop for Feeney for the leap begin, which meant he cycled out behind teammate Brown, who began fourth.
The native Toowoomba-born driver then led the sister Crimson Bull automotive with a margin of 0.884 seconds on the conclusion of proceedings. Wooden denied Anton De Pasquale for a consecutive podium end on Saturday.
Penalties galore as Feeney wins once more in Race 25
Whereas Feeney took one other win within the 200km Sunday race to formally conclude the Dash Cup, there was extra of a narrative to inform than the classification sheet suggests.
A short bathe and a Security Automobile highlighted what was largely a race strewn with penalties as no less than six drivers copping punishments from the stewards.
Each Walkinshaw Andretti United drivers and Matt Stone Racing drivers took numerous penalties, with Cameron Hill given a drive-through for forcing debutant Zach Bates onto the grass.
Time penalties got to Chaz Mostert, Ryan Wooden and Nick Percat – in addition to Bates, who went from sufferer to perpetrator when he collided with rookie Cooper Murray. Percat, like teammate Hill, had an incident with Bates, which sadly marred the wildcard’s stellar top-five qualifying outcome.
Mostert drew ire for a bump on De Pasquale, with the incident not proven on the stay broadcast – however later by way of a replay. Wooden turned reigning champion Brown round for his 15-second penalty.
Will Davison, too, had a five-second penalty for an incident with Jack Le Brocq early within the race.
Cameron Waters, in his three hundredth Supercars race, joined Feeney on the rostrum, with Allen scoring one other top-three end to sit down on the cusp of the highest ten within the standings. Each Waters and Allen drove lengthy opening stints, pitting twice when the Security Automobile for Cameron Crick’s bogged automotive was initiated.
The present Security Automobile rules are once more proving to profit those that hand around in anticipation of a race neutralisation. That’s regarding heading into the Enduro Cup, strategy-wise clever and with no minimal pit-stops required for groups to financial institution on a Security Automobile.
Welcome again Queensland Raceway
A mainstay of the Supercars championship, following its unique opening again in 1999, it was a welcome return for Queensland Raceway after its six-year absence from the premier Australian touring automotive sequence.
Underneath the brand new possession of Tony Quinn – who bought the venue again in 2021 for $12 million from earlier proprietor John Tetley – Queensland Raceway has undergone a major revamp since Supercars final raced right here in 2019.
From the state-of-the-art new pit constructing, which incorporates the garages and company amenities, to the quite a few security upgrades and fan facilities – Quinn and co have carried out it once more by way of bringing a circuit as much as immense requirements.
“It’s a incredible venue. Tony and his crew have carried out plenty of work,” returning Supercars CEO James Warburton advised Supercars.com.
“It is very important get again to the heartland and Supercars followers right here. It’s one thing we take into account as we transfer to place the calendar collectively.
“It’s not an occasion the place we’ve had any funding help from authorities in any respect, by way of native council or authorities. That can definitely assist cement its place on the calendar. This weekend has been an actual breath of recent air.”
The success of QR’s return was highlighted too within the sturdy crowd numbers throughout the weekend, with the viewing areas filling out even for the Friday apply periods and the varied help sequence.
Onto endurance season
The completion of the Ipswich Tremendous 440 additionally sees the conclusion of the Dash Cup and into the longer distance races of the 2025 Supercars championship.
2025 has the added caveat of the inaugural Finals sequence, which is able to start following the 2 endurance races. though the Enduro Cup has been reminted for the primary time since 2019.
The normal Sandown 500 has made method for a return to South Australia’s Tailem Bend circuit for a 500km precursor to the blue riband Bathurst 1000. Sandown in 2025 options because the semi-final to the Adelaide 500’s grand remaining.
As with the Dash Cup, the Enduro Cup winner will probably be given an computerized berth within the Finals sequence. The peril of securing a prime ten place within the present standings, which carries over from this spherical to The Bend will probably be extra current.
The 24-car grid will develop to 27 with the addition of three wildcard entries. As ever, Craig Lowndes stars in a Supercheap Auto liveried entry from Triple Eight (for the ultimate time too forward of the outfit’s swap to Ford) together with reigning Super2 champion Zach Bates.
Tickford juniors Lachie Dalton and Rylan Grey will make up one entry, in addition to Matt Stone Racing fielding a 3rd automotive for Crick and Aaron Seton.
Solely seven of 2024’s endurance pairings carry into this new marketing campaign with not solely the alluring Peter Brock Trophy to contend for, however in fact, a spot within the first-ever Finals sequence.
