After a blockbuster start to the season in Sydney, Supercars will return to Albert Park, Melbourne, for the 2025 Melbourne SuperSprint. Racing is held in conjunction with the 2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix.
Sydney’s season opener was nothing short of action-packed. Cam Waters achieved the three-peat by winning from pole position three times.
Waters and Feeney were the chief protagonists in one of the most thrilling Supercars races in recent years.
Kiwi driver Matt Payne, driver of the #19 Ford Mustang GT for Grove Racing, had a brilliant start to the season. He was well inside the top 10 for all three races, finishing 4th, 5th and 6th. Payne sits fifth in the standings and is the top Kiwi driver after Round 1.
Andre Heimgartner, driver of the #8 Chevrolet Camaro for Brad Jones Racing, was the second best-performing Kiwi. He finished in the Top 10 in the first two races, rounding off the weekend with a 16th-place finish in Race 3. Heimgartner heads into Round 2 tenth in the standings.
Teammate Jaxon Evans, driver of the #12 Chevrolet Camaro for Brad Jones Racing, had a drama-free start to his season. He finished his three races in 16th, 10th, and 19th. Evans currently sits 13th in the standings.
Richie Stanaway, now driving the #62 Chevrolet Camaro for PremiAir Racing, struggled for his season’s opening round, finishing 23rd in Race 1. A sudden, fiery engine failure saw Stanaway retire from Race 2 in the early stages. Smoke was seen billowing from the rear of the #62 Camaro on lap eight, with flames visible underneath the front bumper.
“I’m still not quite sure what happened,” said Stanaway when asked if he knew the cause.
“The engine just let go into Turn 1, so we’ll have to look into it; there was a lot of oil out of the bottom of the engine.”
It was the second time in a week that a PremiAir car caught fire after teammate James Golding’s car burst into flames. This happened while entering pit lane during the Sydney Test Day following a fuel fitting failure.
The youngest Kiwi on the grid, Ryan Wood, driver of the #2 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti Racing, completed all three races. He managed respective 11th, 20th, and 14th-place finishes. Wood was the pick of the rookies in 2024, claiming front-row and top-four finishes in his first season. He is one to watch in 2025.
“I love this track. I had my first top 10 result here last year, which brings back some good memories. We will definitely be looking to take a big step up on that this year,” said Wood.
“This weekend is pretty cool; getting to share the track with the bigwigs is honestly surreal. The crowd always turns up so we need to put on a show for them!
“It’s a huge weekend coming up with four days of action on track. The sprint format means there are no pitstops and no strategy, so it’s every man for himself out there.”
Albert Park is the fastest circuit on the 2024 Supercars calendar. At 5.3km in length, it has an average speed of 180km/h and a top speed of 275km/h.
Drivers must be aggressive into the Turn 11-12 chicane leading into Turn 13, as this corner provides an excellent opportunity to fire it down the inside. Keep an eye out for a few moves to be made over the weekend.
Cam Waters wants to continue his perfect start, but 23 other drivers won’t want a bar of that. The three sprint races will be unmissable, given the lack of pit stops and nearly 5.3km of super-fast streets to handle.
Keep your eyes peeled for this week’s Motorsport Diary detailing session times and viewing information.
