Erebus chasing rare championship feat

Erebus Motorsport is enjoying a fast start to 2023, with Will Brown joining series leader Brodie Kostecki at the top of the standings.

Brown won two races at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint to jump from fourth to second in the championship.

Heading to next weekend’s betr Darwin Triple Crown, Kostecki and Brown are first and second, with Erebus 276 points clear in the teams’ standings.

With eight rounds remaining, the Melbourne team is chasing a special place in Supercars history — a one-two championship finish.

Only six teams have achieved the feat for a combined 12 times in 63 seasons.

Five wins in 12 starts this year

Erebus’ closest rivals, Red Bull Ampol Racing, have two drivers in arrears — Shane van Gisbergen in fourth, and Broc Feeney fifth.

With 2430 points still to win, and with van Gisbergen and Feeney within 200 points of Kostecki, there’s no discounting another Triple Eight one-two.

Triple Eight has claimed a record five one-two championship finishes, most recently in 2021.

Should Erebus close out a one-two, it would achieve a feat that proved elusive for some of Supercars’ greatest teams.

Notably, the Holden Racing Team was unable to record a one-two despite winning six of seven titles between 1996 and 2002.

Already this season, Erebus has claimed its first race one-two and first front-row lockout, among other 'firsts'. 

Moffat Ford Dealers1977: Allan Moffat, Colin Bond

The first team to score a one-two was Moffat Ford Dealers, which also became the first team to win the championship and Bathurst in the same year.

The factor-backed Ford squad won eight of the 11 ATCC points rounds — seven to Moffat, and one to Colin Bond.

Dick Johnson Racing1988, 1989: Dick Johnson, John Bowe

DJR Team Penske won three straight titles between 2018 and 2020, but was unable to claim a one-two as Scott McLaughlin dominated.

The team’s golden era came in the late 1980s, with Dick Johnson leading John Bowe in consecutive seasons aboard their all-conquering Ford Sierra RS500s.

In two seasons, Johnson and Bowe won a combined 14 of 17 rounds, and the 1988 Bathurst 1000.

Gibson Motorsport1991: Jim Richards, Mark Skaife1992: Mark Skaife, Jim Richards

Come the 1990s, and Gibson Motorsport — with its Group A Nissan GT-Rs — crushed the field with Jim Richards and Mark Skaife.

Richards beat Skaife in 1991, before Skaife turned the tide in 1992. Across 1991 and 1992, Gibson Nissans won 11 of 18 rounds, and won both Bathursts on offer.

Glenn Seton Racing1993: Glenn Seton, Alan Jones

As Gibson moved to Commodores when the new V8 era began in 1993, Glenn Seton’s headstart with his new Falcon proved a masterstroke.

Seton debuted his new Falcon at the end of 1992, and the team won six of nine rounds in 1993 — Seton was champion, with 1980 Formula One champion Alan Jones second.

Stone Brothers Racing2004: Marcos Ambrose, Russell Ingall

HRT dominated in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but was unable to clinch a one-two — something Stone Brothers Racing nailed in 2004.

Marcos Ambrose won his first title in 2003, and backed it up in 2004. Russell Ingall finished second, and won his first title in 2005.

Ambrose narrowly missed out on making it two straight SBR one-two finishes in 2005 before he shifted to NASCAR.

Triple Eight Race Engineering2011, 2012, 2013: Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes2016, 2021: Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup

Triple Eight won Falcon titles in 2008 and 2009, but missed out on one-twos. It all changed when the team switched to Holden, with the team scoring five one-twos.

In 2011, Triple Eight became the first Holden team to achieve the feat as Jamie Whincup defeated Craig Lowndes.

Whincup and Lowndes backed it up in 2012 and 2013, before Shane van Gisbergen joined the team in 2016.

Van Gisbergen led Whincup in 2016, before the Kiwi cantered to the 2021 title as Whincup bowed out of full-time racing in second.

Tickets for next weekend’s betr Darwin Triple Crown are on sale now.