Raging Bulls, rookie surprises, chaos: Five bold Christchurch predictions

For the 36th time in the history of the Australian Touring Car/Supercars Championship, 24 drivers are set to venture onto new ground at the ITM Christchurch Super 440.

Only a handful of Supercars drivers have ever raced at Ruapuna Park before, and whilst many drives got their eyes in before Taupō in whatever they could get behind the wheel of, this weekend will be a whole new challenge.

Following a shortened Taupō, we're now faced with a bumper four race weekend over three days, with 400 points on the line and a mammoth 560km of racing, behind only the Repco Bathurst 1000 and the bp Adelaide Grand Final.

With thrilling battles for both the Repco Sprint Cup and the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy playing out, this weekend is shaping up to be a blockbuster introduction to Supercars for the South Island.

Ahead of the inaugural ITM Christchurch Super 440, Supercars.com has made five bold predictions ahead of a weekend where form could go out the window.

Feeney retakes points lead

Brodie Kostecki has been the form guy this year, however after a shock DNF in Melbourne, Broc Feeney was also back to his best in Taupō. Had it not been for getting baulked by Matt Payne in pit lane, and a mistake on his out lap, a race win might've been on the cards last time out. If that speed carries over, Kostecki might have a hard time keeping his lead.

One race gets red flagged

Ruapuna poses a whole new challenge to the field, with many proclaiming the 36th venue in Supercars history to be a proper old-school venue. With a tight layout, drivers are expecting the racing to be fierce and physical, and with little room for error, there is potential for chaos, especially with Sunday's current forecast for rain.

Wood wins JR Trophy

A fairytale win in Taupō sees Ryan Wood enter the the final leg of the ITM New Zealand Double Header leading the Jason Richards Trophy standings by 17 points over Feeney. Now that Toyota are race winners, all eyes will be on Wood on the South Island, and we believe he can stand tall under the pressure to keep the JR Trophy in Kiwi hands.

Rookie gets a podium

Ruapuna brings a completely clean form guide, and it could mark the perfect opportunity for the rookies to make their mark. There have been flashes of brilliance, but anyone who rolls out of the truck with pace to burn could be in a very strong position for the balance of the weekend. It's a chance one of Jayden Ojeda, Rylan Gray, Jackson Walls, Zach Bates, or Jobe Stewart could make the most of.

Brown ends weekend in top five

The 2024 champion has got his mojo back, securing a drought-breaking pole position, two seconds and a fourth in the last three races. This form has seen him rocket up the points standings four positions into ninth. If he can repeat the dose, he'll be inside the top five despite a slow start. We think he's more than capable.

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.

The ITM Christchurch Super 440 kicks off tomorrow, with Supercars racing across all three days of the inaugural event.