Brown's shot at historic 40-year first in Adelaide

Championship favourite Will Brown has been ultra-consistent in 2024, and is on the verge of a remarkable slice of Supercars history.

Through 11 rounds, the Triple Eight driver has been the one to beat, claiming 17 podiums in 22 starts, including four race wins.

Such has been Brown’s consistency, that the Queenslander has finished on the podium at least once at all 11 rounds so far, putting him in the box seat to break new ground.

No driver in the V8 era, which began in 1993, has claimed at least one top three finish at each round of a season. In fact, it hasn’t happened in 40 years.

The championship shifted to multi-round seasons in 1969, with 2024 the 57th season to be contested over multiple rounds. In 56 multi-round seasons prior to 2024, there have been just five instances of a driver claiming a top three finish at each round of the season, the last coming in 1984.

Alan Hamilton was the first driver to end the year with a 100 percent record, going five from five in 1969 en route to second overall behind the legendary Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan.

Two years later, Geoghegan went seven from seven, but finished third behind Bob Jane and Allan Moffat, who shared six of the seven wins.

Peter Brock’s first of three championships in 1974 was built off the back of seven from seven, before Dick Johnson went eight from eight in 1984 — the last such instance of a driver going each round with a top three finish.

There have been several dominant seasons since, but despite drivers winning 10 or more races in a season, many have gone at least one round in the wilderness, be it a multiple-race round or single-race enduro.

In recent years, the likes of Jamie Whincup, Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen all missed out at Sandown or Bathurst, ending their 100 percent podium records despite winning several races.

Last year, Brodie Kostecki claimed 18 podiums in 28 starts, but didn’t trouble the podium in all three Darwin races or the Adelaide season finale, despite starting from pole in both occasions.

Of the above drivers, van Gisbergen went closest, going each round in 2021 and 2022 with at least one trophy before missing out at the final round of the season, thanks to a deflating tyre in Bathurst (2021) and dual dramas in Adelaide (2022).

McLaughlin did the same in the COVID-affected 2020 season, getting onto the podium at every round before finishing fifth in the season-ending Bathurst 1000.

Whincup won a record seven titles, but notably missed the podium in Bathurst in his title-winning campaigns in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2017, and didn’t start a race at all at the 2008 Hamilton round after a crash in qualifying.

Even Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes, who combined for eight titles between 1992 and 2002, didn’t get on the podium at every single round.

Brown will commence his quest to clinch the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship at the VAILO Adelaide 500 on Thursday November 14. Tickets are on sale now.

Podiums at every championship round of an ATCC/Supercars season

Round top three race finish record of last 20 champions