Tasmania Supercars: Waters Claims Victory in Race Two, Randle and Feeney Collision
The Tasmanian Supercars event at Symmons Plains delivered plenty of excitement and drama in the 18th and final Sprint race of the 2024 season. Cam Waters of Tickford Ford Mustang emerged victorious in a thrilling race that saw intense battles and unfortunate collisions.
Waters, who had a strong performance on Saturday, started the race in second place but quickly capitalized on a mistake by his teammate Thomas Randle on the opening lap. Randle, who had secured pole position earlier in the day, made a small error at Turn 4, allowing Waters to take the lead. From that moment on, Waters held onto his advantage, especially when a Safety Car period on lap seven forced Randle to pit and drop a spot to Will Brown of Triple Eight Chevrolet Camaro.
Reflecting on his win, Waters expressed his satisfaction, saying, “So happy to get the win. Tommy made a little mistake at Turn 4, gutted for him. I just tried to maintain the gap. We haven’t been good on the Super Soft tire, and yesterday I didn’t maximize it.”
Will Brown, who started the race from fourth position, found himself under pressure from Randle in the later stages of the race. The two drivers made contact multiple times, resulting in Randle losing a position to Broc Feeney of Triple Eight. However, with five laps remaining, Randle’s attempt to overtake Feeney led to a collision that spun Feeney out of contention, ultimately dropping both drivers down the order.
Randle, visibly disappointed by the incident, took full responsibility for his actions, stating, “I over anticipated the grip at Turn 4. I am gutted over what happened late in the race; that was my fault. It doesn’t feel real that that happened.” Despite his remorse, Randle’s efforts to apologize to Feeney were met with resistance as he was denied entry to the Triple Eight garage.
In a surprising turn of events, Bryce Fullwood of Brad Jones Racing Chevrolet secured his first podium finish of the season, capitalizing on the chaos unfolding ahead of him. Fullwood displayed consistent speed and managed his tire wear effectively throughout the race, earning a well-deserved third place.
Chaz Mostert, starting from 11th position, showcased impressive skill as he navigated through the field to claim fourth place in the Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford. Despite narrowly missing out on advancing in qualifying, Mostert’s Mustang demonstrated exceptional race pace over the 55-lap event.
Erebus Motorsport’s Jack Le Brocq faced a challenging day but managed to secure fifth place, followed by Andre Heimgartner of Brad Jones Racing Chevrolet and a resilient Nick Percat. Percat, who won the Saturday race, started from the back of the grid but showcased a strong recovery drive to finish in seventh place.
With his podium finish, Brown extended his lead in the championship standings, holding an 81-point advantage over Mostert. Feeney currently sits in third place, followed by Waters, Matt Payne, and Percat, respectively. Brown expressed his mixed emotions after the race, acknowledging his performance while sympathizing with Feeney’s misfortune.
As the teams now shift their focus to the upcoming Sandown 500, the first two-driver endurance race of the season, the competition is set to intensify as drivers and teams prepare for the challenges ahead. The Tasmanian Supercars event provided a thrilling conclusion to the Sprint races, setting the stage for an exciting finish to the 2024 season.
