The Prebrief: key storylines in BP Ultimate Sydney SuperSprint
Supercars completed its second consecutive week of racing in Sydney at last weekend’s ARMOR ALL Sydney SuperNight.
Anton De Pasquale continued his stellar run at the Eastern Creek venue, claiming victory in Race 24 and second in Race 25.
The Shell V-Power Racing Team ace started Race 23 from the rear of the grid due to a mechanical failure during qualifying, but climbed 14 places to finish 12th.
Shane van Gisbergen continued his march to the 2021 title with finishes of second and first. However, his lowly 23rd result in Race 25 dented his points lead.
Teammate Jamie Whincup is a reduced 337 points behind, having won Sunday’s rain-soaked finale.
Track action will resume at Sydney Motorsport Park on Saturday for the BP Ultimate Sydney SuperSprint.
The event will host three races – one on Saturday and two on Sunday - across November 13-14.
Supercars.com breaks down the key storylines ahead of the tenth event of the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship.
Weather
Rain at Sydney Motorsport Park last weekend delivered surprise results, brilliant action, and for the first time, wet night racing.
The BP Ultimate Sydney SuperSprint will feature day racing, but there is a 30 per cent chance of rain forecast for Saturday.
The UV index is set to reach very high for Saturday’s ARMOR ALL Qualifying, but temperatures will cool off for Race 26 at 4:45pm AEDT.
Expect sunny conditions to see lap times plummet and punish tyres. Strong winds are forecast for Sunday.
SVG versus Davison
A pair of Saturday run-ins with van Gisbergen left Will Davison frustrated at the ARMOR ALL Sydney SuperNight.
Van Gisbergen won the floodlit Race 23 ahead of Red Bull Ampol Racing teammate Jamie Whincup and Davison.
But it was an altercation early in the race that had Davison ruffled.
Race 23 saw van Gisbergen and Davison start third and fourth respectively and run side-by-side through Turn 1 on the opening lap.
The two cars made contact, and Davison ran wide across the ripple strip out of Turn 1.
Davison aired his frustrations towards the championship leader in his post-race interview.
Shortly after in the post-race press conference, van Gisbergen again earned Davison's ire after comments regarding De Pasquale.
With Red Bull Ampol Racing and Shell V-Power Racing Team splitting the victories over the past two weekends in Sydney, expect this clash of titans to continue.
More career firsts for Brown?
The surprise packet of the past two weekends in Sydney has been Will Brown, who has dropped in strong performances in varying conditions.
He scored his maiden ARMOR ALL Pole Position last weekend, less than a week after he claimed his first career podium.
The only thing remaining for Brown is a race win. Considering his form, you can't rule it out at any stage.
Percat’s form
Nick Percat has remained the quiet achiever in Sydney; he claimed a podium in Race 21, and is in the the top five in the Beaurepaires Sydney Cup standings.
Percat narrowly missed out on a second podium in as many weeks in Race 23 due to a hard-to-pass Davison.
He knows what it takes to win at Sydney Motorsport Park and is one to watch in both dry and wet conditions.
Sydney Cup fight
Van Gisbergen’s lead in the Beaurepaires Sydney Cup took a significant hit when he finished 23rd last Sunday.
His 42-point lead shrunk to 28 after an early off and later drive-through penalty in Race 25.
Six drivers are within 100 points of van Gisbergen; Davison (28 points behind), De Pasquale (45), Percat (58), Whincup (61), Brown (85) and Chaz Mostert (99).
With a race win worth 100 points, and with five points on offer for the driver who claims fastest lap honours, the Sydney Cup and $25,000 cash prize is far from wrapped up.
The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship will resume this weekend at the BP Ultimate Sydney SuperSprint.
Every session of the event will be broadcast live on Foxtel (Fox Sports 506) and streamed on Kayo.
The Seven Network will showcase highlights of the event.
Tickets for the event are on sale now.
