Vaughan dominant in Super2 season opener

Brad Vaughan has dominated the opening race of the 2026 DUNLOP Super2 Series at Sydney Motorsport Park, leading

It's the second straight race win for the South Australian, who also won the final race of the 2025 season in Adelaide to seal a round win on home soil.

After qualifying was held on the shorter Druitt Circuit, the decision was made to also run Race 1 on the shorter layout, marking the first time Super2 have raced on the Druitt variant.

That meant there would be upwards of 30 laps if the race ran green throughout, with the weather continuing to threaten before the lights went out, the track declared wet pre-race as a precaution.

Off the start it was Vaughan who got the jump from the outside of the front row, as Best lit up the rear tyres in the second phase, and found himself pushed out of line at Turn 2 from a fast-starting Reuben Goodall, who vaulted from sixth to second on the opening lap.

There was a little bit of mayhem further back in the pack as Nash Morris was tagged sideways by Jordyn Sinni, with Matt Hillyer also copping a whack, whilst further up the road Ben Gomersall went dirt tracking off the exit of Turn 3.

However at the head of the pack, Vaughan started to pull away from the chasing pack, with Goodall, Ryan Tomsett, and Best forming a breakaway pack in the fight for second.

Tomsett closed on Goodall briefly before the Tickford Mustang began to pull away and close on Vaughan for the lead, with Tomsett keeping his vastly more experienced teammate Best at bay.

Whilst the front of the field settled into a rhythm, there was an intense battle back in the pack with the likes of Matt Chahda, Bayley Hall, Alice Buckley, Tommy Smith, and Elliott Cleary all embroiled in a fierce battle back in the pack.

Smith and Cleary would both be caught out, and have off track excursions at Turn 1 and Turn 2 respectively that saw them tumble back to the rear of the field.

As the clock wound down, Tomsett's #17 Anderson Motorsport Mustang began to apply serious pressure to the rear of Goodall, who started to get ragged in his efforts to hold on to second.

The teenager had a few half hearted looks at the #5 Mustang, with Goodall falling back from Vaughan who maintained a ruthless pace.

However, Tomsett also brought teammate Best into the mix after he used up his tyre to try and pass Goodall, whilst Ben Gomersall made an unforced error at Turn 2 and fired off, allowing Lochie Dalton into fifth.

The BRT Mustang also began to close on the duelling Anderson pair, however time ran out before he could have a serious attempt at passing Best for fourth.

Meanwhile, Vaughan was left to cruise home to a three and a half second victory in a South Australian 1-2, with Tomsett securing his first race podium on home turf.

Best and Dalton came home in fourth and fifth, followed by Gomersall, Hillyer, Bailey Sweeny, Morris, and Sinni.

DUNLOP Super2 action begins tomorrow with Boost Mobile Qualifying for Race 2 at 9:55am local time.