Hill breaks through in action-packed Race 5
Cameron Hill breaks through in action-packed Race 5
Hill leads Nick Percat in shock Matt Stone Racing one-two
Race shortened from 19 to 12 laps after two Safety Cars
Cameron Hill has scored his maiden Supercars victory in an action-packed shortened Race 5 at the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint.
The Matt Stone Racing driver, who claimed his first Supercars podium on Thursday, backed it up on Friday in a surprise MSR one-two finish ahead of Nick Percat.
The victory was effectively sealed as soon as the lights went out, with Hill jumping pole-sitter Broc Feeney to take the lead through the first corner.
Canberra-born Hill claimed his first win in his 58th career start, with MSR winning at the Australian Grand Prix for the second year in a row. Feeney, meanwhile, dropped behind teammate Will Brown after the second Safety Car restart.
The race, which was scheduled for 19 laps, ran for just 12 laps. The Safety Car was deployed twice, first for a crash for Jack Le Brocq at Turn 5, with the race already time certain due to a delay courtesy of an earlier incident in Formula 3 qualifying.
Cam Waters started and finished sixth, with Brown closing the gap at the top from 45 to 31 points.
"You can say I've been working towards this for a long time," Hill beamed.
"I just had a good feeling about today, I was so nervous before the race because I recognised the fact that if we could get off the line we could get the win today.
"Unbelievable, one-two, a one-two for MSR! It's so cool, credit to them, they've just put so much work in, and they deserve this."
Hill got the jump and ran with Feeney down to Turn 1, and took the lead. Feeney attacked through Turn 3, only for Hill to open the door for Percat to run around the outside of Turn 4.
The race only got as far as Turn 5, however, when Le Brocq and Ryan Wood clashed. Le Brocq's Tyrepower Camaro ricocheted off the outside wall and speared into the concrete barriers on the inside.
All trailing drivers avoided the stricken Erebus Motorsport car, but with Le Brocq's Camaro stranded and debris strewn across the track, the Safety Car was deployed.
Officials initially communicated that the incident would be reviewed after the race, before Wood, who had made his way to seventh, was later handed a drive-through penalty.
Hill took the green flag at the end of lap 3, with Percat holding Feeney behind. However, the race only lasted one more lap before the Safety Car was called again, this time for David Reynolds.
The TRADIE Energy Chevrolet was pitched into the Turn 1 gravel after being hit by Thomas Randle, with Bryce Fullwood going down the inside of the duo at the time of contact.
The race restarted on lap 8 after gravel was cleared away, and Hill immediately skipped away. Percat fell into the clutches of Feeney, with Brown, Heimgartner and Waters just behind.
Hill and Percat controlled the race from there, Hill winning by the official margin of 0.5745s. Brown was 0.8244s from victory, with Feeney, Andre Heimgartner, Waters, Brodie Kostecki, Anton De Pasquale, Cooper Murray and Chaz Mostert rounding out the top 10.
Brown slashed Waters' lead to 31 points heading to Saturday, with Feeney 69 points down. Mostert is 98 points back in fourth.
Cars will return to the track on Saturday morning for dual Boost Mobile Qualifying sessions from 9:05am local time, with Race 6 to commence at 5:40pm.
