Four winners and four losers from the 2026 DUNLOP Sydney 500

Early statements have been made in the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship following the opening weekend of the year.

Some drivers, teams, and manufacturers alike all got their seasons off to strong starts, with a select few even emerging as shock contenders in an already stacked field.

However, for others, there will be an eagerness to turn things around in just over a week's time on the world stage at the Melbourne SuperSprint.

Supercars.com takes a look at some of the winners and losers from the 2026 DUNLOP Sydney 500.

Winner: Broc Feeney

The eyes of the world were on Broc Feeney after the events of Adelaide in November, and boy did he deliver. Two wins out of three to kickstart his redemption tour, highlighted by an ironman performance on Sunday amidst soaring temperatures, a cool suit failure, and a brilliant Kai Allen. They weren't just regular wins, they were statements.

Loser: Will Brown

On the other side of the Red Bull Ampol Racing garage, Will Brown's first Supercars starts for Ford did not go to plan. Finishes of 7th, 14th, and 18th paled in comparison with his teammate once again. After a 2025 where he was thoroughly beaten on every metric by his teammate - save for championship position - leaving the opening round 15th in the standings is hardly ideal.

Winner: Blanchard Racing Team

The feel good story of the weekend, Blanchard Racing Team came of age in Sydney. A shock front row lockout was converted to a maiden double podium for Aaron Cameron and new recruit James Golding, and whilst their frontrunning pace carried on through the rest of the weekend, they were unfortunate not to claim more silverware. Super2 recruit Lochie Dalton also secured the development series round win in their best ever race weekend.

Loser: Erebus Motorsport

Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Erebus. Both of their Camaros were outside the setup window all weekend, and luck also deserted them. In the final race alone, Cooper Murray's starter motor called it quits even before the warm up lap, before a wheel gun failure brought rookie Jobe Stewart back into the lane having already been forced off in a mad squabble in the early running. Erebus are now last of the two-car teams.

Winner: Team 18

Are Team 18 capable of leading the post-Triple Eight era for Chevrolet? The early evidence suggests it's an emphatic yes. Anton De Pasquale was superb at one of his favourite circuits, with his cool drive under pressure to fend off a flying Brodie Kostecki on Saturday a line in the sand moment. The #18 very well could've been on the podium again had it not been taken out on Sunday, whilst David Reynolds also jagged a Saturday top five.

Loser: Kai Allen

14th in points isn't a fair representation of what Kai Allen did on the opening weekend, and through no fault of his own. Friday (11th) and Saturday (8th) were quiet runs to start the year, but his Sunday drive was anything but quiet. Frankly, his move on Broc Feeney around the outside of Turn 1 in the wet was one that fully deserved a race win to go with it, but alas there was first a mistake, and then a steering failure. What could've been...

Winner: Toyota

Five Toyotas in the top 10 by the end of the weekend wouldn't have been on anyone's radar. Yes there was luck involved, and there is three years of Ford and Chevrolet development to catch up on, but when the opportunity arose, it was taken with both hands. Better yet, Ryan Wood and Cameron Hill both sit in an early provisional Finals berth. It's little wonder that Walkinshaw TWG Racing and Brad Jones Racing were so pleased with their weekends.

Loser: Zach Bates

It was a rude introduction to full-time main game duties for Zach Bates. Qualifying in the top 10 for all three races was seriously impressive, however he was roughed up in all three races. His best finish was his most recent finish, 13th after starting 8th, however tyre life was also a concern. He will be eager to start converting qualifying speed into top 10 finishes, and heading to Albert Park with an MSR Camaro, it could be an expectation to perform.

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