Finals winners and losers: Kostecki soars, luckless Cameron, Bates sink
After another wild weekend in Melbourne, the Finals picture has changed substantially in the space of four short, sharp sprint races.
The big beneficiary out of the weekend was Brodie Kostecki, who put together his best weekend yet for Dick Johnson Racing on route to a second Larry Perkins Trophy win.
However, in a weekend full of drama, incidents, and tempers, there were several drivers who copped big points hits, as trouble seemed to surround them all weekend.
Supercars.com looks at the winners and losers in the race for the 2026 Repco Supercars Finals Series after Round 2.
Winner: Brodie Kostecki
The Melbourne SuperSprint was the first real statement multi-race weekend by Brodie Kostecki and Dick Johnson Racing. One pole, three wins, and a second was proof that the 2023 champion was back to his devastating best. For the first time since October 2020, the #17 will be orange when cars next hit the track in Taupō.
Loser: Aaron Cameron
Four top 10 qualifying results, and through a mix of driver error and sheer bad luck, Aaron Cameron walked away with finishes of 23rd, 24th, 19th, and 19th. A potential 162 points went begging through the course of the weekend, with the second year driver now 101 points outside the Finals bubble. Speed needs to be converted, and quickly.
Winner: Kai Allen
Kai Allen was pointing in the wrong direction not once, not twice, but thrice across the four races in Melbourne. He still walked away third in the Larry Perkins Trophy points, having passed an astronomical 41 cars in the process. At 28 points above the cut line, he's in relative security heading to Taupō, where he starred last year.
Loser: Cooper Murray
Another driver in the Aaron Cameron school of bad luck, the second year Erebus driver was an innocent victim in three separate incidents. Having been the fastest Chevrolet at times throughout the weekend, Murray is still buried down in last in points. Rubbing salt into the wound, teammate Jobe Stewart is second last. Ouch...
Winner: Jack Le Brocq
A lot was said about Matt Stone Racing's stunning form at Albert Park, and whilst they couldn't snare a podium this time around, Jack Le Brocq was exceptional once again. Three top 10 finishes, including a near-podium run to fourth have only solidified his place inside the top 10 in points. It will be fascinating to see if he can stay there.
Loser: Zach Bates
Meanwhile on the other side of the MSR garage, Zach Bates had a torrid weekend. In all four races, he couldn't even make it past Turn 3 before getting caught up in an incident, whilst a starter motor failure in Saturday qualifying meant he started last for the finale. That ultimately saw him in the firing line in the Turn 1 pile-up.
2026 Repco Supercars Championship Finals race: Round 2, Melbourne SuperSprint
Position | Driver | Gap to Safety | Gain/Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
1st | Kostecki | +208 | +4 |
2nd | Waters | +180 | +1 |
3rd | Feeney | +165 | -2 |
4th | Payne | +135 | -2 |
5th | De Pasquale | +77 | -1 |
6th | Le Brocq | +53 | +1 |
7th | Wood | +33 | -1 |
8th | Allen | +28 | +6 |
9th | Golding | +9 | +2 |
10th | Mostert | +5 | +3 |
11th | Randle | -5 | -1 |
12th | Reynolds | -33 | -4 |
13th | Brown | -37 | +2 |
14th | Hill | -41 | -5 |
15th | Heimgartner | -59 | +2 |
16th | Ojeda | -91 | +6 |
17th | Jones | -95 | +2 |
18th | Fraser | -97 | +2 |
19th | Cameron | -101 | -7 |
20th | Gray | -104 | -2 |
21st | Walls | -113 | - |
22nd | Bates | -121 | -6 |
23rd | Stewart | -149 | - |
24th | Murray | -168 | - |
The 2026 Repco Supercars Championship continues across the Tasman with the ITM New Zealand Doubleheader, beginning at Taupō from April 10-12. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.
