Supercars: All the news and race results from the Tasmania Super 440 from Symmons Plains
Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney has launched the first strike in his bid to hit back from a podium-free round in New Zealand after blitzing practice at Symmons Plains.
Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney has launched the first strike in his bid to hit back from a podium-free round in New Zealand after blitzing practice at Symmons Plains.
At a circuit where the championship-winning team has traditionally dominated, Feeney was the fastest driver in both of Friday’s two practice sessions at the Tasmania Super 440 to signal his intentions for the round.
The 22-year-old topped the opening practice session ahead of Team 18’s David Reynolds and Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Ryan Wood.
Amid a flurry of late flying laps, Feeney backed up in the final practice session to emerge on top with a 51.088sec lap, edging out PremiAir Racing’s Richie Stanaway and his Triple Eight teammate Will Brown.
Feeney and Triple Eight are aiming to bounce back from a difficult round in Taupo where the team failed to have either driver finish on the podium for the first time in almost two years.
The Gold Coast racer, who sits fourth in the championship, said it was a relief to be on the pace straight away after his New Zealand struggles and hoped to find more for a podium assault on Saturday.
“It’s good to have a good day, obviously after NZ to bounce back strong here is good,” Feeney said.
“It’s been a really good day, just happy with how everything went. Practice 1 was really good, we just made good progress throughout the day.
“I probably struggled a little bit at the start of practice 2, I was probably just overdriving a little bit and trying a bit too hard and just settled myself down for the end there and we all went out on greens and then did a run and was happy with it.
“We’re in a good spot, obviously we could make it a little bit better and try to get myself a little bit better for tomorrow, but happy to bounce back and have a good day one.
“I want to try and get a few more wins and podiums and try and get back right up the front in that championship.”
Feeney sits fourth in the driver championship, just 61 points behind leader Brown with Ford’s Cam Waters and Matt Payne in between.
Waters finished 14th and ninth in Friday’s two practice sessions.
Triple Eight has a dominant record at Symmons Plains, having 26 wins from the last 51 starts at the track.
After a challenging start to the Supercars season for his new team PremiAir, Stanaway said it was a pleasant change to roll out with pace straight away in Friday practice.
“It’s a big unexpected to be honest, we did not roll out super strong, we’re making a lot of changes to try and find some speed,” Stanaway said.
“We actually ran the greens a little bit earlier than everyone and wasn’t really quick enough, so I thought we would be down the order.
“But then we re-ran the green at the end and managed to find some speed with it with a really good set-up change.
“It’s a bit unexpected, but it’s a good way to start the weekend. I haven’t really been quick on a Friday all of last year or so far this year, so always going into qualy and scratching your head a little bit.
“So it’s nice for a change to actually have some speed for once.
Brown admitted he had some work to do to match his teammate Feeney’s pace between practice sessions, but predicted he could be up the front on Saturday.
“I think it was not a bad day, didn’t have the best first session, we trended not too bad later in the runs of the first session, but my first lap time (12th) wasn’t where Broc was so I had a bit of work to do for practice 2,” Brown said.
“It felt like we were there, we were P1 for a lot of the session and I just didn’t get the best green lap in at the end, we were sort of caught up in traffic.
“But really happy with P3, it didn’t feel like it was the best lap, so I think we can be right up there with Broc.”
The famous tight turn-four hairpin caught several drivers out in the opening practice session with last-start winner Matt Payne, Bathurst 1000 champion Brodie Kostecki and Cam Waters among the drivers to overrun the turn.
Qualifying and two 50-lap races await the Supercars field at Symmons Plains on Saturday.
SUPERCARS TASMANIA SUPER 440
Practice 1
1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight) 0:51.311sec
2. David Reynolds (Team 18) 0.51.313sec
3. Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw Andretti United) 0:51.413
Practice 2
1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight) 0:51.089sec
2. Richie Stanaway (PremiAir Racing) 0:51.188sec
3. Will Brown (Triple Eight) 0:51.258sec
‘NOT UP TO STANDARD’: FEENEY HITS OUT
Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney has graded his start to his 2025 campaign as only a C as he pushes to “get the ball rolling” on his maiden title quest at the team’s happy hunting ground in Tasmania after slipping in the standings in a turbulent Taupo round.
Feeney heads to this weekend’s round at Symmons Plains in fourth position in the drivers’ standings after a difficult weekend in New Zealand when the championship-winning squad failed to score a podium for the first time in almost two years.
The 22-year-old finished 15th, fifth and seventh in the three Taupo races last month, making up 13 positions in the final race after a qualifying shocker.
Feeney’s title-winning Red Bull teammate Will Brown also went without a podium, finishing fifth, seventh and eighth across the three races.
It was the first time Triple Eight had neither of its drivers finish on the podium in a round since August, 2023.
Now Feeney is determined to bounce back in Tasmania after a round he admitted was not up to scratch.
“Obviously Taupo was not a great weekend. It wasn’t up to our standard, for one of us not to get a podium on the weekend, it has been a while since we have done that,” Feeney said.
“We learned a lot, I think we got a lot better over the weekend as it went.
“We have good speed this year, but we haven’t really got many wins or podiums or as many as I would like.
“(The season has been) maybe a C or C-minus or something. I feel like we’ve had really good potential, but we just haven’t executed as well.
“I just need to have a solid three races in Tassie and just get the ball rolling.
“I wouldn’t really say anyone has got heaps of momentum through the start of the year. Like obviously Cam had a good round one and not the best round two and vice versa for me.
“So for me it is just about trying to get the consistency going.”
Feeney has just one win for the year so far in the opening race of the Melbourne SuperSprint at Albert Park where he secured all four poles.
The Gold Coast racer dropped from third to fourth in the title race after Taupo behind Brown, Tickford’s Cam Waters and Grove Racing’s Matt Payne, but remains only 61 points adrift of the lead.
“I suppose for me at the moment, it is more about the gap to P1. I am not as worried as such that I have dropped to fourth,” Feeney said.
“My plan is not to be there for long, hopefully we can move forward.
“But to come out of New Zealand, especially after the first race with a 15th, and to only be 60 points back. I am pretty happy about that, I suppose.
“Not that that’s a good thing, but I just felt like we haven’t had a few things go our way and to be 60 points back – that can swing in a race.
“If we have a good weekend we could come out in the lead.”
History says Triple Eight has had plenty of good weekends at Symmons Plains.
The team has had 26 wins from the last 51 starts at the track, although neither driver won there last year.
“It certainly has been a good track for Triple Eight, but I think as we moved into Gen3 that sort of erases a little bit of history,” Feeney said.
“I still think we are very strong there, but as we learned from New Zealand you can’t guarantee on last year’s results that you are going to be competitive.
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“Last year we were super fast and we got a pole and a podium. I think we have got good capabilities going to Tasmania.
“I really enjoy the track. It is always challenging and it suits my style a little bit, so I am keen to try and get some wins.”
ENDS
Originally published as Supercars: All the news and race results from the Tasmania Super 440 from Symmons Plains
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