5 storylines to watch as title tension rises in Tasmania

The top two in the championship haven’t been this close heading into the enduros since 2018, and in that season, it went down to the final race.

The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship is shaping up to have a blockbuster run home, with Tasmania the final sprint round of the season before four marquee events.

After Tasmania, Sandown and Bathurst will put 300 points on the line, before street races in Surfers Paradise and Adelaide will decide the title.

Could a championship favourite emerge at Symmons Plains, or will the margin get even tighter? Supercars.com runs through five storylines to keep an eye on at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint.

The title fight stakes are rising

Will Brown has a 105-point lead, but for the first time, his closest rival isn’t from across the garage. Chaz Mostert is in strong form, winning both races in Sydney. Scoreboard pressure is everything, and Mostert has four podiums on the trot, and 567 points in two rounds. The Ford star has clawed 174 points back on what was a 279-point deficit on Brown after Darwin. Fans think Mostert is the one to watch, tipping the Walkinshaw Andretti United ace for the title in a Supercars.com poll. However, don’t count Broc Feeney out. Feeney was smarting after two below-par rounds in Townsville and Sydney, and knows how to get the job done in Tasmania. This title fight could just be getting started!

Triple Eight stronghold

The first key to the title fight puzzle is Triple Eight. The team completed a test day between events, and heads to Tasmania hopeful of gains. If there's a track Triple Eight needs results, it’s Tasmania, where it has an imperious record. Since 2007, Triple Eight has won 26 of the last 39 races at the Launceston circuit.

No more hard times with the Super Soft?

The other key is Walkinshaw Andretti United’s performance on the Super Soft tyre. WAU Fords had no qualifying pace in Darwin, and it cast a pall over the team’s efforts. The return of the Soft tyre brought Chaz Mostert back into the fight, and the team got a valuable rookie day in for Ryan Wood — along with category testing for Mostert — at The Bend between events. If WAU has found a fix, the title fight is truly on. If they haven’t, it could be all uphill from here, with Sandown also a Super Soft round.

Can a new name break through?

Will Davison’s pole in Sydney was a big result for Dick Johnson Racing, with the team missing out in the races on strategy. DJR has a strong record in Tasmania, and Davison is a two-time winner at Symmons Plains. Davison and Anton De Pasquale will be desperate to convert to silverware amid rumours over their future, and loom as the next names to break through. Thomas Randle, meanwhile, has been knocking on the door of a big result for some time, having claimed a well-earned podium in Sydney. We’ve already had seven winners this season, and with the Super Soft back on the menu, James Golding and PremiAir Nulon Racing could also be ones to watch. Don’t rule Matt Stone Racing out in Tasmania either, with the team finding the pointy end on the Apple Isle in recent years.

Next stop, the enduros…

While the immediate focus is Tasmania, teams will be looking towards Sandown and Bathurst, the two most important races of the year. They’re worth 300 points, and co-drivers come into the fray. Any points won in Tasmania will go a long way to a team’s eventual championship finish, and given Sandown is also on the Super Soft, it could be an entree to the main course come September 15.

Tickets, including General Admission, Corporate Hospitality, Trackside Parking, Paddock Passes and Pit Lane Walks are all available now through the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint event page on Supercars.com. The 2024 NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint will be broadcast exclusively live on Foxtel and Kayo with highlights on the Seven Network and 7plus. The event is proudly supported by Events Tasmania.