Brown delivers champion's response in Ipswich thriller

Will Brown has delivered the response of a champion to a turbulent fortnight, claiming his first win of 2026 in an epic conclusion to Race 27 at the Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440.

The 2024 champion has been back to his brilliant best in Queensland, and when the chips were down, he played all the right cards in a wild final sprint to the line.

In doing so, he claimed his first win in more than 12 months, and emphatically answered any lingering questions surrounding what has been a tough season for the #888 Ford.

The Repco Sprint Cup will also go down to the wire on Sunday, Matt Payne fading through the pack to salvage sixth whilst Broc Feeney rounded out the podium.

Payne atoned for his scrappy start in Race 26 as he converted pole position, but his lead was short lived as Brodie Kostecki mugged him on the exit of the final corner at the end of the second lap.

Payne immediately fought back at Turn 2, but Kostecki held tough, with Brown then incentivised to make his move on the #19 Penrite Ford around the outside of Turn 3.

The pair remained side-by-side right the way until the final corner in a brilliant exchange, with Payne managing to hold on with a superior exit off the final corner.

That allowed Kostecki to pull out a slight margin at the head of the field, however Payne was once again able to close the margin, the top two pulling away from Brown in third.

Chaz Mostert struggled for tyre life again, and found himself under assault from Broc Feeney as the first stint wore on, Feeney having several moments under brakes as he pushed to find a way past.

Mostert was the first of the leaders to blink on lap 15, whilst Payne dived in the following lap in an effort to move past Kostecki and into the lead with an undercut.

Kostecki and DJR responded the next time by, and whilst he maintained position over Payne, Kai Allen had vaulted past both of them into the effective lead, having changed two tyres at his stop on lap 14.

Kostecki caught Allen on lap 22, but overcooked the move and ran into the gravel, giving both Payne and Brown a free kick and dropping the #17 back to effective fourth.

Teammate Rylan Gray, who had already gone off at Turn 3 on the opening lap, repeated the trick after locking an outside front on lap 24, bringing out the Shannons Safety Car as he got bogged in the sand.

That provided an interesting dilemma to Penrite Racing, with Payne on not only fresher tyres, but also having changed four tyres to Allen's two. Yet, it would be Allen who led the field back to green with 10 laps remaining.

Allen held on off the restart, however there was mayhem behind as Mostert defended fiercely from Feeney into Turn 3, before James Golding was spun at Turn 4 after being on the outside of a squeeze that involved Anton De Pasquale.

Brown then sent a big move on Payne at Turn 2, and made the move stick to move into second, with Kostecki also making his way by at the exit of Turn 6, Payne complaining of a lack of shift cut whilst also dealing with a tyre rub on his left front wheel.

The Safety Car was back on track before too long, Tickford wildcard Ben Gomersall stuck at Turn 6 in a collision that also saw Erebus duo Cooper Murray and Jobe Stewart impacted. Gomersall quickly got going again, with the second Safety Car period only lasting one lap.

On lap 34, Allen's resistance was ended, Brown launching another audacious move at Turn 2, and bringing Kostecki with him.

In all the chaos, Feeney was briefly up to second, however Kostecki would get back by, as Payne slipped further back through the pack.

At the front of the field, no one could catch Brown to cap off a fairytale result, with Kostecki and Feeney rounding out the podium.

Allen, Mostert, Payne, Cam Waters, David Reynolds, Thomas Randle, and Anton De Pasquale rounded out the top 10.

The final day of the 2026 Repco Sprint Cup commences with Boost Mobile Qualifying at 10:45am local time.