Latest news with #V8Supercars
West Australian
4 days ago
- Automotive
- West Australian
V8 Supercars: Six drivers to watch during Perth Super 440
The Perth Super 440 is building as an early championship shaper as the V8 Supercars complete their first day in Wanneroo. The grid had two practice sessions on Friday, ahead of the circuit reaching its 100th race on Sunday, and there was barely more than a second separating the fastest from the slowest. Hometown hero Brodie Kostecki left his best for last on Friday but was slower than expected while some of the grid's younger racers strutted their stuff atop the time sheets. Championship leader Broc Feeney showed his strong form and will be one of the drivers to watch. Broc Feeney Feeney enters the fifth round of the Championship with his first-ever driver's standings lead, having leapfrogged Red Bull teammate Will Brown with a tremendous weekend in Tasmania last month. The 22-year-old was handed one of the toughest tasks in Australian motorsport when he entered the Supercars in 2022, replacing legend Jamie Whincup while also partnering Shane Van Gisbergen. However, the youngster embraced the challenge, walking in his predecessor's shoes with a sixth-placed rookie season before being pipped at the post for the Championship last year by Brown. He has also started in style in 2025, winning three races and claiming six podiums. And he made a bright start in Perth, tiptoeing through the early laps while the field layed down rubber after the circuit was scoured by rain during the week, before putting the foot down to finish in the top five in both 30-minute practise sessions. Will Brown Fellow Red Bull racer Brown put the disappointment of Tasmania behind him on Friday, finding consistent pace to claim lap times inside the top 10. However, those laps are unlikely to satisfy the reigning champion, who became the first driver in 40 years to podium at every round during his first year with Triple Eight. Brown has been a regular inside the top five to start the season but has just one win among his six podiums and would love to knock Feeney back down to second with a win or two in Perth. There is no doubt the 28-year-old from Toowoomba is the hunted this year and will be under intense pressure again in Wanneroo. Brodie Kostecki Hometown hero Kostecki will be hopeful that he can be the one applying the pressure as he adjusts to his new team. Kostecki won the title in 2023, but a turbulent year off the track ruined his hopes last year before he made the switch to Dick Johnson Racing. The 27-year-old has yet to break through in the Shell V-Power Mustang and looked to be on struggle street in first practice, finishing 21st. The Ballajura product saved his best for last, recording his best two times on his last two laps, but could only go 18th fastest. The increase in pace offers Kostecki hope, and he will be eager to fight towards the top of the grid in qualifying on Saturday. Matthew Payne A man who had no issues in practice was 22-year-old Kiwi Matthew Payne. Payne has the weight of expectations on his shoulders, touted as the next big thing out of New Zealand after Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen. But that weight did nothing to stop him in Perth on Friday, topping the second practice time charts. The youngster has showed wisdom and patience beyond his years so far in 2025. Chaz Mostert Chaz Mostert was one of only a handful of drivers who found consistency during practice, going seventh and sixth fastest. Consistency has been a feature of the 33-year-old's campaign to date, with the two-time Bathurst winner claiming one win. However, he will be hoping to grab his first pole position of the season, with Perth always a friendly track for those at the front. Should he fall into the middle of the pack, though, he has the skills and hunger to put on a show for the fans. Cam Waters Always a divisive driver, Cam Waters will undoubtedly put his Monster Energy car in the thick of the action as the weekend progresses. He sits fourth in the championship hunt with three wins and having earned three pole positions. Practise will have left the two-time Supercars runner-up and three-time Bathurst podium-finisher wanting, however. He managed to crack the top 10 with the eighth fastest time in practice one but fell outside of the 10 in the eleventh the second time around. But as he has shown this year already, qualifying is where his competitive juices flow strongest. And if anyone needed a reminder of how well Waters can perform in the spotlight, just remember how he earned his start in 2011. At just 17, he tackled Mount Panorama in a Kelly Racing Commodore with Grant Denyer as his prize for winning the inaugural Supercar Showdown TV series.
West Australian
5 days ago
- Automotive
- West Australian
Rising West Australian race car driver Mason Harvey to compete at Perth V8 Supercars round
One of WA's rising drivers is set to showcase his talents during the V8 Supercars visit to Perth this weekend. Mason Harvey is a two-time WA Saloon Car State Champion but has made the move to the Aussie Racing Cars championship for the 2025 season. The 20-year-old has made a strong start across the opening two rounds of the campaign, with a string of front-row starts, podiums, and lap records. Now, Harvey heads to his home circuit in Wanneroo ready to make a statement, having claimed his first victory in Tasmania last time out. 'Winning in Tassie was massive for us,' Harvey said. 'We've been building for this, and to now come back to Perth with that momentum, in front of my home crowd, it's going to be something special. I'll be giving it everything.' The series will join the Supercars on track for four of their seven rounds, with Perth the third stop on the calendar after rounds in Sydney and the Apple Isle. Harvey sits equal fourth in the standings, just eight points behind leader Kody Garland, in what is set to be a vicious championship fight. The 22-car field includes Olympian John Steffenson, while Garland, Joel Heinrich and Jack Boyd join Harvey in the fight for the title. It is set to be a big weekend for WA racers as Supercars and Bathurst 1000 champion Brodie Kostecki returns to his home track with Dick Johnson Racing. The Aussie Racing Cars will be on track across the three days of Supercars competition from June 6 to 9.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Rising WA driver Mason Harvey to compete at Supercars round
One of WA's rising drivers is set to showcase his talents during the V8 Supercars visit to Perth this weekend. Mason Harvey is a two-time WA Saloon Car State Champion but has made the move to the Aussie Racing Cars championship for the 2025 season. The 20-year-old has made a strong start across the opening two rounds of the campaign, with a string of front-row starts, podiums, and lap records. Now, Harvey heads to his home circuit in Wanneroo ready to make a statement, having claimed his first victory in Tasmania last time out. 'Winning in Tassie was massive for us,' Harvey said. 'We've been building for this, and to now come back to Perth with that momentum, in front of my home crowd, it's going to be something special. I'll be giving it everything.' The series will join the Supercars on track for four of their seven rounds, with Perth the third stop on the calendar after rounds in Sydney and the Apple Isle. Harvey sits equal fourth in the standings, just eight points behind leader Kody Garland, in what is set to be a vicious championship fight. The 22-car field includes Olympian John Steffenson, while Garland, Joel Heinrich and Jack Boyd join Harvey in the fight for the title. It is set to be a big weekend for WA racers as Supercars and Bathurst 1000 champion Brodie Kostecki returns to his home track with Dick Johnson Racing. One of WA's rising drivers is set to showcase his talents during the V8 Supercars visit to Perth this weekend. Credit: Unknown / Supplied by Subject The Aussie Racing Cars will be on track across the three days of Supercars competition from June 6 to 9.
Perth Now
02-06-2025
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Burswood boost: Supercars drivers back plans for new circuit
V8 Supercars veteran Will Davison says a street circuit in Burswood would bring the sport 'to the people', creating a whole new generation of fans and potentially racers in WA. Wanneroo Raceway, currently known as Raceway, will notch its 100th race this weekend at the Perth Super 440, the first track in Australia to do so, but the circuit has long been dated. For many categories, it is far too short, and the raceway itself is located in a hard-to-get-to corner of Perth that fans would be forgiven for not knowing existed. However, proposed plans for a track in the heart of Burswood that hosts Crown Resorts and Casino as well as state-of-the-art sporting coliseum Optus Stadium would ensure everybody knew the Supercars were in town. 'I've been around this sport for a long time, and I've been a part of a lot of the street races that have started from scratch over the last 10 or 15 years,' Davison said. 'Some have worked. Some haven't. I'm a huge supporter of supporting local motorsport circuits, but our cars and street events, you explain it in a way where you're bringing your sport to the people, particularly in the heart of the CBD. 'We have our die-hard fans that love supercars and love motorsport. There's a lot of people that are on the fence until they come and experience it first-hand and feel that it's much more than a motorsport event. 'There's so much going on at street events that are good for the kids, good for the family. There's entertainment everywhere you look. V8 driver Will Davison. Credit: Kelsey Reid / The West Australian 'And until you sort of feel that around a street track experience, the atmosphere that it creates... it's probably impossible to explain it to people.' Perth-born Supercars and Bathurst 1000 champion Brodie Kostecki was involved in the design process for the new circuit and said it was an 'exciting' prospect for motorsport fans in his hometown. 'I've been pretty privileged to be a part of the circuit design, which has been a great process,' he told The West Australian. 'I've been able to work with some really smart people in that field, and I think it will be an exciting time for everyone in Western Australia. 'It's going to be multi-use across multiple different sports and disciplines, so it's going to be great. 'I was part of the process to make sure the track's competitive, entertaining and good to drive, but I'm a very small cog in the wheel.'
ABC News
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- ABC News
Burswood motorsport street circuit not being rebranded, WA government says
The WA government has rejected suggestions it is attempting to rebrand its proposed facility in Perth's Burswood Park as a multi-use community hub, rather than a motorsport-focused street circuit. It came as the government announced it was opening the community consultation process for the controversial new facility, which has attracted backlash and became the target of attacks from opposing political parties and some residents of the area heading into the state election earlier this year. Previous government promotions and media releases were largely focused on the motorsport facility. In a social media post from January 12, Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti shared a promotional poster saying "A re-elected Labor Government will build a Motorsport Street Circuit and Burswood Park", with the opening line of her post also focused on the street circuit before later detailing other facilities included in the proposal. Those included multi-use event infrastructure, a function centre, and a 20,000 capacity outdoor music amphitheatre all based in the area near Perth's premier sporting and entertainment facility, Perth Stadium. At the time the government emphasised the facility could potentially be used for V8 Supercars, Formula E and Moto GP events, and it was hoped the circuit could be open in time for the 2027 Supercars season. Despite its attempts to focus on more widespread community benefits at today's announcement, Ms Saffioti denied that was a reaction to the backlash from earlier this year. "There were some people who wanted to call it a motorplex. It's not a motorplex, it's not a motorplex at all," Ms Saffioti said. "It's a sports and entertainment precinct that will help drive activity and create new opportunities to host events into the future. Ms Saffioti said for most of the year the area would be closed to motor vehicles, creating an area of activity for recreational cyclists and children, while also being able to host music and community events. She said much of the opposition to the project had been politically motivated, and backed by parties opposed to Labor. "When people understand the breadth of the project, and the fact this builds on this area being a sporting and entertainment precinct, most residents will understand that this will be a major positive to the community," Ms Saffioti said. "There were some that wanted to use it as a party political platform during a state and federal election, and I would say that because the flyers that were distributed were party political."
