Grove declares intentions with target on Triple Eight

Penrite Racing CEO Brenton Grove has thrown down the gauntlet to Triple Eight, insisting his team must maintain pressure on the leaders.

Both teams have traded opinions over where each other sits in the pecking order, but the facts are that Red Bull Ampol Racing leads both championships.

Broc Feeney turned the tables on Matt Payne and Kai Allen from Christchurch to dominate the Tasmania finale.

While Feeney won, Grove was pleased to keep Will Brown at bay, and was pleased his squad banished the nightmares of a terrible run at Symmons Plains in the Gen3 era, save for Payne’s surprise 2025 win.

Key for Grove, however, is keeping the pressure on their Ford rivals, which are only 68 points up the road in the teams’ championship.

“To be in the fight today and beat one of their cars, I think was nice. But ultimately, we weren't the fastest car and we didn't win the race. So, we've got some digging to do,” Grove said post-race.

"I think it's a nice step to take from where we were last year. But they're fast at Darwin, and they're fast at Townsville, and they're fast at a lot of other tracks.”

Sitting across from Grove in the Sunday press conference, Triple Eight Team Manager Mark Dutton claimed Penrite Racing had a better “handle” on the Gen3 Ford.

Stephen Grove, however, insisted Triple Eight remains the “benchmark” team in the championship.

For Brenton Grove, the mission is simple: don’t give Triple Eight any free kicks.

“Our job is to keep improving our package and keep putting them under pressure and see what happens. But it's not often they've been put under pressure in the past,” Grove continued.

“Our job is to take it to them for the entirety of the season and see where we land."

The 2026 season resumes in Darwin on June 19-21. Tickets are on sale now.