A strong test day helped take Broc Feeney confidence into what proved a career-best weekend in Darwin, which has put him firmly into the title fight.
Feeney finished second, first and third in the betr Darwin Triple Crown sprints to win the round on points.
With both Erebus Motorsport drivers missing the podium, Feeney slashed the deficit to Brodie Kostecki from 191 points to 91 points.
The 20-year-old has won four of the last 10 races, and has claimed three pole positions — winning from pole each time.
Critically, Feeney is now ahead of veteran teammate Shane van Gisbergen by 19 points, with the top four split by 110 points.
Red Bull Ampol Racing tested post-Tasmania, along with fellow Queensland teams Shell V-Power Racing Team, Matt Stone Racing and Nulon Racing.
MSR won its first race courtesy of Jack Le Brocq on Sunday, with Will Davison scoring the first Shell V-Power Ford podium of the year on Saturday.
“It’s been a great weekend overall, certainly the best this year so far,” Feeney said.
“To get the round win is what we’ve been looking for, and the consistency has been the standout thing for us this year that we’ve been lacking.
“To come to Darwin and keep the momentum rolling from Tasmania is fantastic. We learnt some things from our test day and that gave me a lot of confidence.
“I’m not sure if we found a half a second in the car, but I certainly found some good confidence in myself.
“I think we rolled into Darwin strong, and to get a first, second and third for the weekend and the overall round win is awesome.
“Hopefully we can keep this momentum rolling into Townsville, and my focus will be to finish each race as best as I can and try and qualify as best as I can to make it a bit easier for us.”
The next round in Townsville offers 150 points to the winner of each 250km race, meaning Feeney could be one result away from becoming championship leader.
Feeney, who turns 21 in October, is now firmly in the frame of becoming the youngest Supercars champion in history.
It came on a second straight weekend van Gisbergen missed out on victory, yet with finishes of sixth, second and fourth, was second on points for the round.
Just two days earlier, van Gisbergen was consigned to limited run time due to car gremlins — a situation which justified the team’s hard work to boss Jamie Whincup.
“This season is so close across the field,” Whincup said.
“You see some high-quality teams and drivers up the front of the race or qualifying one day, and then they can be down the back the next.
“If you don’t get that right — boom, you can lose 15 spots.
“The guys and girls at Red Bull Ampol Racing have done an incredible job this weekend.
“Although we started on the back foot on Friday with car #97, for the team to finish the weekend with a suite of trophies and the round win is amazing.”
The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the NTI Townsville 500 on July 7-9. Tickets are on sale now.
