After a blockbuster top ten shootout, with crashes, controversy, and stellar performances, Anton De Pasquale came out on top just in front of Cameron Waters, setting a ford lockout of the front row a very different look to last weekend.
The first lap of the Towsnville WD40 Supersprint was one for the history books, full of sensational dives, wheel to wheel racing and plenty of contact that led to a pileup and Brodi Kostecki and Shane van Gisbergen colliding on the last turn, with the heated exchange seeing them both handed fifteen second time penalties.
With the race well underway and Anton comfortably leading over Cameron Waters and Jamie Whincup, the pair took to the pits in the hope of the undercut; after a blistering Tickford pit stop, waters came out with a healthy fap in front of Whincup, and the Monster Energy Mustang was soon able to make a move on Aton for the lead.
“The old over and under… I knew I had to do it then,” Waters said of his move on De Pasquale”
With Waters making ground on Whincup in the pitstop, the seven-time champ was on the charge, but shortly the shine was taken away from the #88 when a fifteen second time penalty was issued for exceeding the pitlane speed limit, putting the final nail in a horror day for Triple Eight.
In closing laps of the sprint race, a visibly angered and elbows out Van Gisbergen came charging through the pack to regain valuable championship points; De Pasquale and Mostert kept him at bay with a clean race giving them a second and third position after Whincup’s penalty was applied.
Van Gisbergen, who started on the front row in both last week’s 250km races in Townsville, started from sixth position, after some confusion with a call by race control during his shootout lap, causing his worst starting position since he qualified 13th at The Bend earlier this year.
Van Gisbergen maintains his spot atop the ladder, now holding a 239-point Championship lead over teammate Whincup.
There will be two more 39-lap SuperSprints tomorrow starting at 12:45 pm and 3:40pm, respectively to close out the Townsville WD40 SuperSprint.
