Townsville triggers fresh twist in teams' title fight

The teams’ championship fight took another twist in an enthralling NTI Townsville 500.

The Shell V-Power Racing Team took the lead in Darwin, albeit by 14 points.

However, Red Bull Ampol Racing snatched it back in Townsville, and now leads by a scant 10 points.

Tickford Racing is a distant third, 570 points behind Red Bull Ampol Racing.

The 24-point swing can be attributed two ways, largely in part to Shane van Gisbergen’s perfect 300-pointer.

Van Gisbergen won both 150-point races, with second place offering 138 points.

The two-time champion was forced to defeat a Shell V-Power driver on both days, albeit in different circumstances.

On Saturday, van Gisbergen overhauled Will Davison with four laps remaining.

On Sunday, Anton De Pasquale hounded van Gisbergen for the lead and spun him at the final corner.

The incident led to a scintillating climax, with van Gisbergen refusing a redress before De Pasquale was penalised.

Both Davison and De Pasquale benched points to van Gisbergen in either race.

De Pasquale struggled on Saturday relative to Davison, and finished a distant sixth.

On Sunday, Davison was forced to fight back from last after a first-lap clash with Scott Pye.

Cam Waters outscored both Shell V-Power drivers despite finishing third in both races.

Waters scored 258 points for the weekend, ahead of De Pasquale (240) and Davison (234).

Broc Feeney scored two top 10s, and brought home 198 points. Combined, van Gisbergen and Feeney scored 498 points.

De Pasquale and Davison scored 474 points, helping Red Bull Ampol Racing complete a 24-point swing.

Regardless, while van Gisbergen again skipped away, the teams' championship is all to play for.

It’s a stark juxtaposition to 2021, where Triple Eight looked imperious with drivers first and second overall.

Notwithstanding that Feeney is still finding his feet in the absence of the retired Whincup, DJR has closed the gap.

After seven rounds last season, Red Bull Ampol Racing led Shell V-Power Racing Team by a staggering 825 points.

Critically, De Pasquale has had a far better start to the season versus 2021.

The #11 Mustang driver is 361 points better off year-on-year after seven rounds.

The 2022 season will resume at the OTR SuperSprint on July 30-31. Purchase your tickets now.