Supercars Championship: 2026 Taupō Super 440 Race 8 Recap
- Tayla Purves
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
What a weekend for Ford fans with four of their drivers leading the pack in Qualifying (Race 8), Mustangs seemingly having an advantage over Chevrolet Camaro's with the Super Soft tyres as none of them qualified within the top ten.
Brodie Kostecki, driver of the No.17 Shell V Power Mustang took out the fastest with a 1:26.897, setting the tone for the pack behind.
Joining Kostecki on the front of the grid is Broc Feeney in the No.88 Ampol RedBull Racing Mustang. Right behind the quickest of the grid is hometown hero Matthew Payne in the No.19 Penrite Racing Mustang, with Will Brown in the No.888 Ampol RedBull Racing Mustang sitting beside him.
Due to weather concerns in Taupō New Zealand this weekend, all Sunday racing action is cancelled due to the threatening arrival of Cyclone Vaianu, meaning it's every man for themselves as they enjoy their time on track for the New Zealand double header.
On the opening lap, it was push and shove with Feeney and Kostecki, Payne copping his fair share. It was all happening in the lead up to Turn 5; aggression as they each defend their positions territorially, the rear bar of the No.3 Liqui Molly Mustang looking battered.
Lap 2, Aaron Cameron was yet again targeted with a slight turn, recovering nicely. The mayhem didn't end there, with Kai Allen in the No.26 Penrite Racing Mustang copping a fair bit of steering damage after contact.
After just one lap out after an initial tyre change, with hopes that would fix an issue with the right front tyre, Allen found his way back into the pit lane - the team working madly on the No.26 Mustang in the garage to salvage an attempt at championship points. It was later found that it was actually the left front tyre with damage, and a bent steering arm.
Turn 11, being a long and ongoing corner, played the perfect opportunity for James Golding, effortlessly passing Thomas Randle on lap 8, moving him up just outside the top five.
The Bull's further up the pack were caught up in their own battle; a teammate versus teammate scenario, each keeping up with the other.
A memborable moment of Race 8 is the battle between Feeney, Payne, Chaz Mostert, and Ryan Wood. A chase right on each of their tails, a chain of eager drivers ready to make moves and take the third step of the podium off of the No.88 Mustang.
Championship leader, Kostecki, made his intentions clear mid race, making sure his elbows were out on lap 21, effectively holding Brown behind.
The race came alive with that battle, emerging directly out of a pit stop for the No.17 Shell V Power Mustang, Brown not quite giving up.
Another short-lived battle amerged between rookie Jackson Walls and Anton De Pasquale, with Cam Waters keeping a keen eye ready to react. Unfortunately for Walls in the No.11 Mustang, he was later overtaken by both veterans.
Further up the pack, Kostecki led the pack, annoying Brown behind by pushing the limits of tyre management.
Frustration for the Bull's continued with Feeney on Mostert for third place, with just ten laps to go, Feeney stayed hot of the reigning champion's tail, adding pressure to the No.1 Toyota Supra.
Just +0.149 held Feeney away from Mostert, the hunt for third continuing until Feeney went very late on the brakes, skipping across the grass. All hope wasn't lost after the left front lock up, he rejoined semi-unharmed and most importantly, ahead of Wood and not too far out of reach of third.
Their battle became a three-way fight for third, with Wood eagerly on the back of Feeney, their rivalry coming back to screens for Supercars fans. Feeney found his way past Mostert on Turn 12 lap 30, rubbing doors to get the job done, after a few rough deliberate hits from the reigning champion on the straight.
Wood followed suit, his teammate not putting up a fight for the position. Wood slyly passed Feeney for third.
The drama seemed to die down with just five laps until the chequered flag, with stewards looking into cars No.19 and No.6 after a pit lane incident, later supplying Payne in the No.19 Mustang with a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release.
The end of the race came in a flash, but the chaos didn't falter for one minute - stewards issued a painful 15-second time penalty for cars No.6 and No.26 for a pit lane speed violation, marking a tough day for Waters and Tickford.
Jayden Ojeda had an awkward off track moment on lap 36, spinning Waters with him; all cars got going again.
Another 15-second time penalty issued to Ojeda for the incident on lap 36, the time to be added to his race time.
Brown and Wood fought it out, each not giving in and sticking like glue to one another, the No.888 Mustang keeping ahead in second position. It didn't end there, the last lap proving to be a tough battle as each hang on hard, Brown making contact with Wood's No.2 Toyota Supra, only just holding onto the second step of the podium.
The Repco Supercars Championship head to Christchurch's Ruapuna Raceway next weekend for the very first time, making history in New Zealand.
Full results
Brodie Kostecki 56:28.991
Will Brown +16.186
Ryan Wood +16.532
Broc Feeney +23.446
Matthew Payne +24.844
James Golding +26.108
Chaz Mostert +28.309
Anton De Pasquale +31.300
Jack Le Brocq +37.308
David Reynolds +43.753
Cameron Hill +46.020
André Heimgartner +46.790
Cooper Murray +57.965
Declan Fraser +62.333
Rylan Gray +64.417
Macauley Jones +66.329
Zach Bates +67.484
Jayden Ojeda +69.826
Thomas Randle +80.802
Aaron Cameron +90.258
Cameron Waters +105.945
Jackson Walls +1 Lap
Kai Allen +5 Laps
Jobe Stewart +33.380
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