GOLDING’S POLE, FEENEY’S WIN – DARWIN TRIPLE CROWN RACE 11

James Golding may not have won have won Race 11 in the 2024 Repco Australia Supercars championship, but he did make history in more ways than one.

Golding recorded his first pole position start in the championship with the fastest time in the Top 10 Shootout. In doing so he also scored the first ever pole position for the PremiAir Racing Team. Golding’s race engineer, Romy Mayer also recorded her first pole position in what was also a historic moment for women in Motorsport.

Starting from the inside line in the run to the first corner, Golding faced a battle to remain at the head of the field. Broc Feeney was in P2 and had the benefit of the cleaner racing line down the long front straight. Golding managed to extinguish that threat, though it wasn’t long before the Red Bill Ampol Racing Camaro had found a way by.

Reigning Champion Brodie Kostecki had endured a troubled start to the weekend with a coil pack and injector issue, which was followed by steering problems which reduced his track time prior to the race. Despite a promising eleventh place starting position for the race, Kostecki was unable to start the car for the warm-up lap and was pushed into a bump start before ending the lap back in the pitlane.

As the lights faded it was Golding who led towards Turn 1 with Feeney on his outside. The pair went side-by-side through the opening corners before Golding was finally able to edge ahead on the approach to Turn 5. Mark Winterbottom has slotted into third ahead of Percat, De Pasquale, Brown, Waters and Reynolds.

The order at the front remained unchanged until Feeney attempted a late move on the approach to Turn 6 on Lap 4. Golding had been a tad wide on the approach and Feeney attacked. That pushed the Nulon PremiAir car wide at apex and WInterbottom followed through for second.

Cooper Murray’s wildcard appearance with the Supercheap Auto Camaro had started well enough with the debutante on the edge of the top 20 until contact from Jaxon Evans saw the Supercheap Car momentarily off the track at Turn 1.

Golding and Percat were the first of the lead group to make their pit stops on lap 23 of 48. Golding’s stop was mildly impeded as he then waited for De Pasquale to move past the PremiAir pit bay before returning to the circuit. Winterbottom and Brown stopped on the following lap.

Winterbottom resumed with Brown glued to his tail, the pair ahead of Golding and Percat in eleventh and twelfth respectively. Feeney ran another laps before changing his rear tyres at the end of Lap 30.

The Top six had more-or-less remained the same, with Feeney in first from Winterbottom. Brown had been the big mover slotting into third after gaining three places in the pit stop cycle. Anton de Pasquale was the notable exception as the Shell V-Power Team driver became embroiled in a stoush for tenth with Stanaway, Payne, Mostert and Waters.

There was also contact between Randle and Courtney at Turn 5, which saw the Castrol Mustang ride the side of the Snow River Caravans machine as their wheels interlocked. Both cars spun onto the grass and then headed back to the pits in unison with a pair of flat tyres.

Feeney had etched out a 3.8 second lead over Winterbottom by lap 49, with Brown a further second in arrears. Mostert had been the big mover during the race and looked likely to claim the scalp of former teammate Percat in sixth.

The #25 WAU Mustang had received four fresh tyres during their stop and Mostert continued to climb forward in the final laps of the race. Brown and Winterbottom appeared to be out of reach for Mostert, though Golding sat just a matter of seconds ahead with four laps left to run.

Broc Feeney took a comfortable win from Winterbottom and Brown,

Golding managed to find just enough left in the tank to hold off Mostert for fourth, with Waters in sixth. Reynolds, Percat, Heimgartner and De Pasquale were the top 10 finishers.

“It’s awesome to be back on the winners list in Darwin,” Broc Feeney said to Red Bull Ampol Racing media.

“I had quite a bit of confidence coming here, and last round certainly wasn’t great for us, so to bounce back like that with a good shootout and today’s result is awesome. The margins are obviously super close all the way through the field, but to be in the fight all day and secure the win where we could pull a big margin was very satisfying for the team.”

For Mark Winterbottom, Darwin has become something of a happy hunting ground after his breakthrough win for Team 18 in 2023.

“I think the weekend’s been awesome for us to be fast in Friday practice, fast in qualifying and then fast in the shootout and still up there. We’ve been up every session, so that’s probably satisfied me the most. We’re genuinely up there every session and even Dave too,” Winterbottom told Team 18 media

“It’s a lot better racing these guys than what it is battling at the back and winning Pizza Hut Awards week in, week out.”

Main Photo: supplied RBAR

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