By James Pavey
Will Brown has beaten Triple Eight teammate Broc Feeney in a thrilling Penrite Oil Sandown 500, with the championship leader and Scott Pye scoring their first Supercars endurance race victories.
Brown hung on in a grandstand finish to the race, which ran time certain to 154 laps and featured five Safety Car periods.
The points leader beat Feeney, who won the 2023 race with Jamie Whincup, by 0.4747s
It marked Brown’s first win since New Zealand in April, while Pye claimed just his second career win, and first since Albert Park in 2018.
The teammates brought home a one-two following a heart-in-mouth moment, with Feeney hitting Brown after sailing off the road following a pit stop.
Behind them, James Golding/David Russell delivered a maiden Supercars podium for PremiAir Nulon Racing, with Golding denying Matt Payne by 0.3941s at the line.
Payne/Garth Tander finished fourth ahead of Triple Eight wildcard Cooper Murray/Craig Lowndes, with Cam Waters/James Moffat sixth.
Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth came home seventh, with the championship contender surviving an early-race spin for Holdsworth to limit the damage to Brown in the title fight.
Heading to the Repco Bathurst 1000, Brown has an extended 189-point lead over Mostert, with Feeney 222 points behind.
“God what a race, Scott did a mega job, I was a bit nervous at the start when they got underneath us and the 88 was leading,” Brown said.
“Those last laps were nerve wracking, I thought don’t put a foot wrong, because Broc’s going to be there and I know he’ll pounce, but it was awesome.
“I’m just so stoked to get this, a win here at Sandown, the first round of the enduros, it’s a bloody good way to start it, so thanks to all the guys and girls at Red Bull Ampol Racing.”
The first half of the race featured three Safety Cars and a Full Course Yellow period, leading to a lap 95 restart.
Brown skipped away as Feeney defended from Golding.
Behind them, Waters pounced on Payne at Turn 1 for fourth.
All the while, Mostert restarted 15th, while Brodie Kostecki was hit with a 15-second penalty after the rear wheels on the Erebus Motorsport Camaro spun during the pit stop.
Brown and Feeney set their personal best laps of the race on lap 98 as they tried to drop Golding, who had Waters, Payne, Jack Le Brocq, Murray and Kostecki behind.
The Triple Eight duo did it again on lap 99, and Brown on lap 100, as the pace picked up.
Brown went faster again on lap 102, with the margin 0.7s to Feeney.
The margin breached a second on lap 107, with Golding, Waters, Payne, Le Brocq, Murray, Kostecki, Wood and Tyler Everingham the 10 as Mostert passed Anton De Pasquale for 11th.
As Brown complained over a vibration, Walkinshaw Andretti United brought Mostert in from 11th on lap 110.
Mostert immediately went about setting fast laps, clocking the best of the race on lap 113, before going faster again across the next two laps.
Brown extended his margin towards two seconds, and Waters fell into the clutches of Payne.
On lap 123, as Brown cracked two seconds over Feeney, Payne sealed the move on Waters through Turn 1.
Kostecki and Le Brocq then muscled past Waters, who was escorted off the road at Turn 6 by Murray.
Tickford pulled the pin and brought Waters in with 34 laps to go, with Wood, Hill, Slade and Heimgartner also stopping.
Murray, Reynolds and Fullwood stopped on the following lap, with Feeney pegging back 0.4s on Brown, the margin 1.5s.
Golding stopped from third with 32 laps to go, with Payne, Le Brocq and Everingham also coming in.
As Golding resumed ahead of Payne, Brown was brought in from the lead and emerged just behind Mostert, who had stopped 20 laps earlier.
Feeney pitted in response, with Kostecki — who had yet to serve his 15-second penalty — also coming in.
Feeney emerged in front of Brown at pit exit, but on cold tyres, fired off onto the apron at Turn 1. As Feeney rejoined, the teammates made contact, but somehow survived.
With the stops complete, Mostert led Brown by 2.9s, with Feeney 1.2s down.
Le Brocq, Golding, Payne, Murray, Waters, Tim Slade and David Reynolds rounded out the top 10, with Kostecki 12th after his penalty.
After Golding cleared Le Brocq with 25 laps to go, the ailing Mostert was brought in, handing the lead back to Brown.
Mostert plummeted down to 16th behind De Pasquale, with Feeney closing to 0.7s of Brown before the race was neutralised when Kostecki stopped on the run to Turn 6.
Payne was brought in and fitted with new rear tyres, with Waters, Cameron Hill, Andre Heimgartner and De Pasquale also stopping.
Feeney was brought in on the next lap for tyres, and rejoined behind Golding and Le Brocq.
Brown was brought in, and emerged just ahead of Feeney, who was trundling down the pit straight with the Safety Car limiter on.
Golding and Le Brocq were also brought in behind the points leader, with the top 10 reading Brown, Feeney, Golding, Le Brocq, Payne, Murray, Waters, Mostert, Reynolds and Fullwood.
Brown led the field to green with nine minutes left on the clock, and the race was immediately neutralised again when Le Brocq and Payne collided into Turn 4.
A Payne dive saw Le Brocq end up buried in the barriers, with Murray avoiding a worse fate after a hit from Waters into Turn 2.
The race restarted with three minutes left, and the top five banged in their respective fastest laps of the race on lap 152.
Feeney gave it away as the minutes wound down, paving the way for Brown to secure his first win since Taupō in April.
The Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood and Richie Stanaway/Dale Wood cars were the only retirements from the race, with a record-equalling 20 cars finishing on the lead lap.
The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at Mount Panorama for the Repco Bathurst 1000 on October 10-13.
– from supercars.com.au
