The Prebrief: key storylines in Darwin return

This weekend marks the return to Hidden Valley Raceway for the first time since August last year.

Darwin never disappoints when it comes to action, drama and controversy, and expect no different this weekend.

Shane van Gisbergen enters the weekend with a handsome championship lead over Red Bull Ampol Racing teammate Jamie Whincup.

WATCH: FIVE DRIVERS TO WATCH IN DARWIN

However, van Gisbergen hasn’t won since April’s Tasmania event, and there have been six different winners in the last six races.

Will we see a seventh on Saturday?

Super Soft question mark

The introduction of Dunlop’s new Super Soft tyre compound will be the major talking point of the weekend.

Initially slated to debut at Winton, the new compound will be the centre of attention in Darwin.

With Hidden Valley a low degradation circuit, and with Darwin’s temperatures set to soar, this weekend looms to be an engineer’s nightmare.

“No one really knows what’s going to happen, it’s a great thing,” David Reynolds told Supercars.com.

“No one knows how it’s going to feel underneath your car and what your set-up will be, or if your car will like it.

“Everyone will predict what they can, but it will throw up a new element of variability, which is what I love about our sport.”

Will there be another new winner?

There have been six different winners in the last six races.

Such a streak hasn’t been seen for three years, and considering the names which haven’t won yet in 2021, expect a new winner this weekend.

The likely candidate is Will Davison, whose Shell V-Power Racing Team squad is the dominant team in Darwin of late.

Shell Fords have won nine of the last 12 races in the Top End, with Scott McLaughlin winning four of six races across last year’s doubleheader.

Only van Gisbergen has claimed more podiums this season than Davison, who is the only driver of the top seven in the standings yet to win this season.

Whincup’s final Darwin visit

This weekend also marks Whincup’s final visit to Darwin as a full-time driver.

The seven-time champion, who will retire at the end of the season, has won seven races in Darwin.

He also claimed the coveted Triple Crown last year by virtue of claiming the most points across the weekend.

With van Gisbergen 190 points ahead in the standings, Whincup will be desperate to close the gap at one of his favourite circuits.

New motivation at WAU

Walkinshaw Andretti United arrives in Darwin buoyed by the re-signing of Chaz Mostert, who recently inked a multi-year extension.

Mostert has won in Darwin before, but the Hidden Valley circuit has been a thorn in WAU’s side; the team hasn’t reached the Darwin podium since 2013.

Considering Mostert’s recent form in 2021, and the arrival of engineering guru Grant McPherson, expect WAU’s drought to be broken.

Pye’s form circuit

One of the key takeaways from the 2020 Darwin events was the supreme form of Team 18’s Scott Pye.

Pye scored three podiums in six starts last year, and loomed to break through for the team’s first win.

Team 18 has yet to score a podium in 2021, despite Pye and Mark Winterbottom showing glimpses of impressive pace across the opening four events.

Should Pye hit the front this weekend, it would provide a major boost to his season; placed 11th heading to Darwin, he is just 68 points from seventh.

The Repco Supercars Championship field will return to the Northern Territory this weekend for the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown. Tickets are available here.

The event will be broadcast live on Foxtel and will be streamed on Kayo, and will be broadcast live and free on Seven.