Tough Bend leaves Triple Eight needing to defy history

Without question, Triple Eight Race Engineering is the greatest endurance racing team of the modern Supercars era.

The team made its Supercars debut at the 2003 Sandown 500, having taken over from Briggs Motor Sport. In 63 enduro races, Triple Eight has reached victory lane a staggering 30 times, boasting a win rate of 48%.

Therein lies a quandary facing the all-conquering team: after missing the podium at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend, Triple Eight could record an unwanted piece of history.

Since 2003, Triple Eight has never gone winless through five straight enduro races. The team's longest winless streak in the year's longest races is four, recorded in 2003-04, 2015-16, 2017 and its current streak.

Will Brown/Scott Pye's march to victory in the 2024 Sandown 500 was followed by a narrow defeat in the Great Race, before Dick Johnson Racing and Grove Racing made it a Ford double in 2025.

Walkinshaw TWG Racing delivered a stunning 1-3 result for Toyota at The Bend earlier this month, with incidents preventing both Triple Eight cars from fighting for victory.

Another winless outing in Bathurst next month takes the winless streak to five, which would break new — and unwanted — ground for the Jamie Whincup-run team.

A run like no other

Without harping on about that the 'what ifs', it's worth highlighting just how good Triple Eight is in the enduros.

The team's first enduro win came at the 2005 Sandown 500, which was won by Craig Lowndes and Frenchman Yvan Muller. Lowndes and Whincup reeled off three straight Bathurst wins between 2006 and 2008, and also won the 2007 Sandown 500.

After the Holden Racing Team swept the 2009 enduros, Lowndes and Mark Skaife won three of the next four enduros, before the team did the Sandown-Bathurst double in 2012.

Bathurst wins followed in 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023, alongside Sandown wins in 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2023. Gold Coast 600 victories were also recorded in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2019.

If not for an untimely puncture for Shane van Gisbergen at the end of the 2021 Great Race, Triple Eight could have been undefeated between the Gold Coast 2019 and Sandown 2024.

Teams to have tamed the T8 beast

Walkinshaw TWG Racing (formerly HRT and Walkinshaw Andretti United) and Tickford Racing (formerly Ford Performance Racing and Prodrive Racing Australia) were the most common thorns in Triple Eight's side, winning 11 and 10 enduros respectively since 2003.

Tekno Autosports, surprisingly, comes next with three wins (two on the Gold Coast, and Bathurst 2016), ahead of Dick Johnson Racing, Erebus Motorsport, HSV Dealer Team/Kmart Racing, Stone Brothers Racing and Grove Racing.

Dating back to Sandown 2024, Triple Eight, Erebus, DJR, Grove and Walkinshaw have made it five different winners in the last five enduros.

The verdict

With a record 10 Bathurst wins, Triple Eight is a team you'd take a big risk betting against.

Crucially, the resurgence of Brown —after 'Restrictorgate' — has two Fords in the fight for the team, with Brown as bullish as ever.

"Our results since the restrictor have been no worse than fourth, and good qualifyings as well,” Brown said on MotorRacing 360.

"I feel like we can really put it to these guys at Bathurst, have a really good race and I feel like we're back where we should be.

"If you look at my championship year, we were on the podium for every race meet of the year. I know last year wasn't exactly where we wanted to be, but I still feel like we can pressure for race wins every weekend.

"I'm excited about it. I’m excited rubbing doors with the guys back up the front and them getting a little bit nervous again that I might be there, so it's good.”

Supercars enduro race wins

Since 2003 Sandown 500

Triple Eight in Supercars enduros

Longest winning streaks

Longest winless streaks