Kicking off the action in the top end with plenty of track time for both main game and Dunlop Series is the perfect way to kick off the weekend.

We are fresh off an incredible Track to Town last night and it was great to see so many fans along the route as well as the signing session by the water.

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Darwin has always been such a welcoming fan base, and it was great to be amongst the partners, members and fans in the warm weather to get things started.

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As we rolled into Hidden Valley this morning, there was the understanding by all in the team the warm weather would be an adjustment when reflecting on the previous couple of rounds.

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Kicking off with the main game as they rolled out for their one and only practice session for the day. The key focus for the session was to learn as much as possible as both cars were sent out with quite different set ups.

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Both Waters and Randle were strong throughout the whole session, matching some of the stronger times each time they rand their flying laps.

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The credit also goes to the team for consistently delivering fast stops and setup changes when it was needed. Data learned from the session was critical to setting up the qualifying session.

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VCS PRACTICE 1 RESULTS  

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#6 Cam Waters: 1st

#55 Thomas Randle: 9th

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We then welcomed the debut of the Dunlop Series to Darwin as they prepared for their first of two sessions today.

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The four boys were going well straight out of the gates, with Morris holding P1 early in the session. With a mix of new and old tyres throughout the field, the drivers continued to punch solid times and hold their position within the top ten.

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For the second practice, it was smooth running for all four cars once again rolling out strong in their opening laps.

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With mor set up changes a mix of new and old boots on the car, the guys did a great job continuing to develop their knowledge of the new circuit.

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As most of the field closed out the second session with new tyres on, it was great to continue to see all four Autosport drivers remain in the 10 even with a tyre disadvantage.  

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DVS PRACTICE 1 RESULTS  

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#5 Reuben Goodall:  8th

#6 Ben Gomersall: 3rd

#55 Nash Morris: 4th

#56 Cambell Logan: 6th

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DVS PRACTICE 2 RESULTS  

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#5 Reuben Goodall:  3rd

#6 Ben Gomersall: 2nd  

#55 Nash Morris: 7th  

#56 Cambell Logan: 8th

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For qualifying, it was an interesting start as Waters popped up on the screen facing the wrong way on the main straight. Luckily no damage was done, and he straightened himself up and made his way back to the pit lane.

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Randle was delivering a strong first and second sector although a couple of lock ups in the back end of both flying laps meant he missed the cut off to progress to the second phase of qualifying.

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VCS QUALIFYING RACE 17 RESULTS  

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#6 Cam Waters: 4th

#55 Thomas Randle: 15th  

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The crew and drivers were locked in during the midafternoon as the dark clouds continued to threaten Hidden Valley before race 17.

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With the green flag waving, the cars came to life and as the lights went out, Waters was lightning quick to make his way up to third and hot on the tail of the front row heading into the first turn.

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Randle jumped well and held off the drivers behind, navigating a four wide turn one traffic jam of cars before settling into the rest of the lap.

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Waters was quick to then get up to second position before pulling away with Kostecki in front. Randle was in the chain of cars holding strong in his starting position as the first few cars began their pit stops.

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With Waters being slightly held up, it was only a few laps before the leader pitted, and the free air was able to give the #6 a chance to pull away from the field.

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After the midpoint of the race, both drivers had their stops which were executed to perfection. They were clean and fast and played right into the engineers strategy that they were looking to execute.

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As Waters came back out into the race, he fell just behind Kostecki with just over 10 laps remaining. It wasn’t long until a huge dive was thrown into turn one and the tyre advantage on the #6 Mustang was clear as the move was executed perfectly and under full control.

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Randle was back in the pack struggling with some balance and setup overall that just wasn’t suited for today’s race. A chance for the #55 crew to reset overnight and come back tomorrow with a fresh plan of attack.

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As the final laps came to a close, Waters pulled away and was managing a few seconds of a gap from those behind. Then out of no where, a car was off the track and a safety car was called with two laps remaining.

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The tension in the garage was palpable as there would be one remaining green flag lap to end Race 17. But, with the experience of the man behind the wheel, he managed to play the last to perfection.

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Blocking where needed and trusting the car underneath him to pull away by a small enough margin to cross the line as a winner.

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This marks the first win for the team since Sydney Motorsport Park in 2024, a huge momentum boost for everyone here and at the factory in Melbourne to kick off the back half of the year.

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We cannot wait to be back out at the track tomorrow where we get to do it all over again and chase another win on track for both Main Game and Dunlop Series.

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It all kicks off at 10:35am ACST with Dunlop Series qualifying.

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