Racing rules, wild form guide, Finals tension: Questions to be answered
The 2025 Repco Supercars Championship resumes in Tasmania, where all hell often breaks loose. Now, there's plenty more at stake as drivers fight to reach the Finals.
The Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440 marks the midway point of the Repco Sprint Cup, with drivers chasing top spot and the bonus points that come with it.
However, as we saw in New Zealand, poor results can prove a killer blow to a driver's hopes, forcing them to play catch-up and potentially take more risks in future races.
If there was a track where you can win and lose plenty in an instant, it's Symmons Plains, where pole is often decided less than 0.1s, and a driver's race can unwind in an instant.
As we mark race week, Supercars.com highlights key questions that will be answered at the upcoming round.
How will racing rules be used in Tassie?
James: Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand were all jam-packed with biff, barge and incidents. However, penalties have been few and far between, with Driving Standards Advisor Craig Baird keen to let the drivers work it out themselves on track. Tasmania presents an all-new challenge for drivers and Baird, with the 2.4km circuit featuring just seven corners, headlined by that hairpin. Some drivers have predicted the hairpin will be a hotspot all weekend, which could keep Baird's hands full.
Can Triple Eight use happy hunting ground to bounce back?
Zac: Triple Eight's record in Tasmania is arguably their most imposing out of any of the 13 venues the Repco Supercars Championship will visit in 2025. With 26 wins in Launceston, double the tally of the next-best team, this year's Tassie trip is well-timed for Red Bull Ampol Racing after a head-scratching weekend in Taupō. Will Brown somehow managed to extend his points gap at the head of the standings, however with just 111 points separating him from former teammate Brodie Kostecki in sixth, it's still a very tight race for the Repco Sprint Cup. However, beware teammate Broc Feeney, who is out for redemption after being skittled by Thomas Randle last year.
Will DJR finally strike gold?
James: Through body language, raw pace, on-track aggro and even through mistakes, you can just see it: Brodie Kostecki has got that dawg in him again. Will Davison is also finding balance with where he stands in the team. Podiums and poles are coming in. So, it seems a matter of when, not if, the Shell V-Power Racing Team hits victory lane. It's been a long wait since the last one, 44 races in fact. Kostecki seems most likely, given his ability to pull out a brilliant lap time in qualifying. However, Davison will have the bit between his teeth, and is a multi-time winner and pole-sitter in Tasmania. Watch this space...
Is WAU's Taupō Super Soft performance the real deal?
Zac: It was a weakness that crippled Chaz Mostert's title charge in 2024, but the 2025 debut of the Super Soft tyre in Taupō would've been extremely encouraging for WAU. Mostert notched up his first win of the season in Race 9 of the championship, coming out on top in a fierce duel with Brodie Kostecki, in what was the sole race on the softer compound of the weekend. Qualifying pace on the Super Soft carried over into the race for Mostert, in what was a clear sign of progress for WAU from their 2024 Super Soft form. Mostert scored a podium last year in Tassie by virtue of an aggressive tyre strategy, but if Taupō was any indication, the two-time Bathurst winner could very well do it on pace this year.
Has Penrite Racing learned how to minimise their bad rounds?
James: Penrite Racing hit the jackpot in New Zealand, with Matt Payne winning two races and the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy. Payne had all the answers, leading from the front in the first Saturday sprint, before stealing the lead away from Cameron Hill on the Sunday. Tasmania and Perth are two bogey tracks for the Ford team, something Payne is well aware of. If Payne and Kai Allen are at the pointy end at Symmons Plains, Penrite Racing may just be able to consider themselves genuine contenders.
How does the battle for Finals evolve?
Zac: The rejuvenated fight to make the top 10 in the standings will only become a more intense talking point as the season progresses. Tasmania will represent the halfway point of the Repco Sprint Cup, and there have been sone big stories to emerge from the first three rounds. Cameron Hill's fairytale start to 2025 has him well placed for a Finals berth, and with Matt Stone Racing race winners last year in Tasmania with Nick Percat, it could get better yet. Anton De Pasquale, Thomas Randle, and Andre Heimgartner are only covered by three points from eighth to tenth, whilst Will Davison and an in-form Ryan Wood are well within striking distance of the top 10. The likes of Percat, James Golding, Jack Le Brocq, and Kai Allen will also be looking to play themselves into the Finals race.
