Red Bull Ampol Racing today unveiled a special livery for the Darwin Triple Crown, designed by students of the Hunter River Clontarf Academy in Heatherbrae, New South Wales.

The special livery will be run across both #88 and #97 Supercars at Hidden Valley Raceway and celebrates Ampol’s longstanding partnership with the Clontarf Foundation and the recent release of its Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan. The Clontarf Foundation operates to improve the education, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men through academies in schools across Australia, including their program at Hunter River High School.

The artwork tells the story of the Hunter River Clontarf Academy, showing where the Hunter River meets the harbour and the connection that local Aboriginal people have to the water. There are footprints along the river which grow from small to large and illustrate the journey of leadership and growth that Clontarf students embark upon on while at school.

The circles of dots throughout the artwork represent the local communities that the academy connects with. The ‘blue sunrise’ represents new beginnings and how the hunter river students strive to become the best versions of themselves and learn from others.

Red Bull Ampol Racing driver Broc Feeney and Team Principal Jamie Whincup pulled back the covers on the tribute livery at headquarters today, where the artists saw their design aboard the Red Bull Ampol Racing supercar for the first time.

“The car looks amazing,” said Feeney.

“The students that we met today and helped us reveal the car for the first time are so talented to have created a design like this. It was also great to show them around the workshop and hopefully give them an experience that they will never forget.

“It’s obviously my first time at the Darwin Triple Crown competing in the Supercars Championship, but I’m ready to get up there. The crowd is always amazing, the weather is spot on, and I think seeing all of the cars on the grid in their indigenous liveries is going to look really cool. Our cars will definitely look the best though!”

Jamie Whincup, Managing Director of Triple Eight Race Engineering, said: “We’re truly fortunate to work alongside Ampol and the talented students from the Hunter River Clontarf Academy on this design. It’s also humbling to think that these students were able to travel from Newcastle to Brisbane today and be the first to reveal our livery – the very livery that they created.

“Ampol have been Triple Eight’s most long-standing team partner, and their commitment not only to us, but their community partnerships such as the Clontarf Foundation is remarkable.

“This is also a great initiative by Supercars to announce that the Darwin Triple Crown would be the category’s official Indigenous event, and we’re so thankful that all of our major partners, headed by Ampol, were forthcoming by letting us represent their brands through this unique livery.”

Brent Merrick, Ampol Executive General Manager, International and New Business, said that Ampol is proud to continue its longstanding partnership with the Clontarf Foundation as part of its renewed focus on supporting reconciliation in Australia.

“Ampol is proud to be here with Jamie and Broc to unveil this special livery designed by the very talented young artists from the Hunter River Clontarf Academy.

“Our partnership with the Clontarf Foundation, which in 2022 reached the milestone of 11 years, is an important part of our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan that we released in March.

“As a large national company that has a deep history across Australia, we understand our responsibility to be a sustainable, diverse business and to connect with others to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and create opportunities for equitable participation in Australian society. Supporting the education of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men is a key part of this goal.

“The striking artwork we see on the car today has strong alignment to Ampol and our reconciliation journey – representing a deep connection to community, the value of building relationships and how we’re leveraging our strengths to transform our business for a successful future.”

Gerard Neesham, Chief Executive Officer of the Clontarf Foundation, said: “Ampol has been with us on our journey for more than 10 years and their support has played an important role in the expansion of our programs to new states and schools. This is another example of a unique and rich opportunity that Ampol can offer our students to engage and to acknowledge and reward their achievements both in and out of the classroom.”

Triple Eight Race Engineering have announced the return of their Supercheap Auto-backed wildcard for the 2022 Bathurst 1000, with a media event and livery reveal on the banks of the Brisbane River in Southbank.

One of the most iconic names associated with the Bathurst 1000, Craig Lowndes, will team up with Triple Eight’s Super2 young-gun, Declan Fraser for this year’s Great Race, with the latter making his Supercars debut at the famous Mount Panorama Circuit.

The wildcard features the iconic #888, with the current livery to remain for the team’s upcoming test days, before transitioning to its Bathurst 1000 race livery at a later date.
It will be Lowndes’ 29th start in the Great Race, a race which he has won a staggering seven times, with his most recent win coming in 2018, the same year he retired from full-time Supercars racing.

Supercheap Auto first became involved in Australian motorsport as a team sponsor 25 years ago and were the naming rights sponsor of the Bathurst 1000 from 2005 to 2020.

The team’s 2021 wildcard entry was piloted by Russel Ingall and Broc Feeney, which set the record for the oldest-youngest driver pairing in history.

The Supercheap Auto wildcard will be the team’s third entry at the Bathurst 1000, alongside Red Bull Ampol Racing’s #88 and #97. Garth Tander will return as co-driver of the #97 alongside Shane van Gisbergen, while Jamie Whincup will make his highly anticipated return to Supercars, co-driving with rookie Broc Feeney in the #88 entry.

The Bathurst 1000 will be the only two-driver endurance event in the 2022 Supercars season on October 6-9.

CRAIG LOWNDES – DRIVER
“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Declan for the Great Race, and I’m so excited to guide him on his journey into the Supercars.

“I’m also thrilled to be representing Supercheap Auto at the mountain for the first time in my career. It will feel a little strange not being in a Red Bull Ampol car for the first time in a long time, but we’re all one team here at Triple Eight.

“It’s no secret the affinity I have with Bathurst and Mt Panorama, it’s the racetrack that means more to me than any other place.

“I also think we’re going to be a competitive pairing. Declan has shown some great speed and composure in his Super2 career – two traits you need to win Bathurst. We have every intention of being right in the mix and giving the fans something to cheer about.”

DECLAN FRASER – DRIVER
“I grew up watching Lowndesy at Bathurst like every other kid did, so to see my name on the side of this car alongside his heading to Bathurst is super special, surreal even. I’m excited to get everything underway and see how it all pans out.

“To be associated with such a massive brand in Supercheap Auto, and for them to back me when they had a lot of drivers to choose from is an amazing feeling. I can’t thank them enough for enabling me to kick-start my career in Supercars in a pretty big way.

“My aim is to hone my skills over the next few months to make sure I’m fully prepared by the time I get to Bathurst. We get a couple of extra test days being a wildcard entry which will be good for myself to get familiar with the ZB Commodore, but at the moment there’s still a few Super2 rounds that I need to focus on.

“I also want to thank my family, my partners past and present, and the entire team at Triple Eight. This is an amazing opportunity that’s been presented to me, and I’m going to grab it with both hands.”

BENJAMIN WARD – MANAGING DIRECTOR SUPERCHEAP AUTO
“The Supercheap Auto wildcard entry is about bringing our team and fans together to share our passion for the Bathurst 1000.

“We love this sport and its fans, and we are always looking to capitalise on our amazing partnership with Triple Eight in the Supercars championship.

“To have a legend of the sport like Craig representing our brand this October will be a dream come true for all of us here at Supercheap Auto.

“Craig’s partnership with an up-and-comer like Declan, at the infamous Mount Panorama circuit, is the ideal storyline for our wildcard program which continues the theme of pairing youth with experience.

“We hope fans get behind Lowndesy and Declan and follow us on this journey to the Great Race.”

JAMIE WHINCUP – MANAGING DIRECTOR TRIPLE EIGHT RACE ENGINEERING
“Supercheap Auto has been a valuable partner of Triple Eight for the past 18-months, and I’m so glad we’ll see a return of their wildcard entry at Bathurst.

“I think having another unique combination of youth and experience with Declan and Craig will not only turn plenty of heads but will be competitive.

“Declan will get valuable miles in Super2 this season and get his debut at the Bathurst 1000 with one of the sport’s most successful drivers. Don’t get me wrong, this is going to be a very competitive pairing for the Great Race.

“All three cars we take to the mountain this year will have nothing but equal opportunity to deliver a result. With myself piloting the #88, I look forward to working with the guys to dial in the cars during the week and then of course help each other in the race where possible. I can assure you the 50-plus people at Triple Eight don’t care which Triple Eight car wins the Great Race, as long as it’s one of us.”

A superstar Workshop Service Technician from Cobram Rural won the opportunity join the Red Bull Ampol Racing pit crew at Winton Motor Raceway’s Winton SuperSprint from May 20 to 22.

Hamish Dalitz, 21, was chosen as part of New Holland’s partnership with Red Bull Ampol Racing for the 2022 Supercars Championship season, where New Holland Apprentices, Technicians, and Parts & Service Managers can win the opportunity to be a part of one of seven Supercars pit crew experiences.

As part of the pit crew experience, Hamish had behind the scenes access on race day, joined the team on the tools in the pit lane, and met the drivers, all while kitted out in team uniform.

Cobram Rural Dealer Principal Nick Pettigrove said Hamish had completed his four-year trade apprenticeship despite a “horrid 2020 due to Covid” and was a deserving winner of this opportunity.

“Hamish was only able to attend one and a half weeks of trade school to finish off his apprenticeship, yet he has stood up and taken it all on his shoulders to now be a full time Heavy Diesel Technician,” he said.

“He has picked up electrical and mechanical diagnostics and is never too afraid to get out of his comfort zone.

“His customer service and maturity towards customers is outstanding, with a strong head on his shoulders he is becoming a leader to the other apprentices and teaching them along the way.”

Hamish said after a tough period to complete his apprenticeship, it was an achievement to be recognised for his hard work on the tools and determination to persevere during COVID.

“I’ve been with Cobram Rural for over four and a half years, moving from work experience, to work placement, to an apprenticeship, and now a full time qualified role,” he said.

“I am thankful for the opportunity and support that Cobram Rural and New Holland have given me, as well as Nick, for helping me to meet every difficulty with a positive outlook.

“I’m passionate about working on New Holland Balers and the high horsepower machines such as the T8 and T9 Series, which is reflected in my experience working on high powered race cars with Red Bull Ampol Racing.

“During the Winton SuperSprint, I was able to experience how the race team operates and was exposed to the amount of work involved in ensuring a car is track-ready including tyre preparation, research into best practice to get the best result, and the sheer effort of the pit crew.

“I found the work environment similar to servicing customers at Cobram Rural, with variations to the speed of race cars versus tractors. The experience has taught me that being the best at what we do requires hard work, effort, and professionalism – all of which I strive to do at Cobram Rural.

“Winning this competition has meant an amazing amount to me and having this memorable experience is testament to my hard work, and the support I’ve got around me.”

Mark Dutton, Team Manager of Red Bull Ampol Racing said, “We’re in a fortunate position where we can provide these unique opportunities for budding mechanical apprentices to join the Red Bull Ampol Racing team in the hustle-and-bustle of a Supercars event.

“The role of these apprentices is not to be taken lightly – they’re in the thick of it carrying out vital tasks that enable us to perform to the highest standards. It was fantastic to have Hamish attend the Winton SuperSprint with the team, with the support of our Team Partner, New Holland.

“He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, and he was a great character to have around our garages – an approach that was good enough for him to qualify for a full time gig! It was also great to celebrate a team win and a handful of podiums with him as well.”

New Holland Australia and New Zealand General Manager Bruce Healy said he is proud of the exceptional emerging talent coming through the New Holland workshops, such as Hamish at Cobram Rural.

“Hamish is a part of the high calibre up-and-coming talent in our network, and we’re pleased to be able to recognise and reward him for keeping our customers’ operations running every day,” Mr Healy said.

“The New Holland team members who are rewarded with this experience are required to apply their skills from high-powered agricultural machines to high-powered performance vehicles in a high-pressure setting.

“With Hamish’s pit crew experience focused on high performance vehicle maintenance, team roles, and driver preparation, he can apply his refined high-performance knowledge in a high-pressure situation to his own work on agricultural machinery at Cobram Rural.”

Broc Feeney – Car #88
Qualifying, Race 14 – Ninth (1:18.9183)
Qualifying, Race 15 – 11th (1:18.8113)
Race 14 – 12th
Race 15 – Seventh

Championship standings – Seventh (887 points)

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
Qualifying, Race 14 – Second (1:18.5509)
Qualifying, Race 15 – Second (1:18.4918)
Race 14 – First
Race 15 – Second

Championship standings – First (1376 points)

Broc Feeney – Car #88
“Qualifying was definitely our weakness this weekend, especially today. I felt like we definitely had the potential to put together a good qualifying lap yesterday, but today’s qualifying wasn’t the same. We were further back than what we wanted and what we were capable of for the race. I improved my start in the first race compared to yesterday, but I just got hung out to dry on the first lap and dropped a few places. From there, it was follow the leader for the guys in front of me, and it was a really tough race. The car felt a lot better so I knew we made an improvement, and emphasis was to capitalise on that for the second race. We knew we had to do something different in that race, and we knew we needed clean air. When we did, we had a fast car. I pitted really early, got out and got some clear air which made us quick. Brodie (Kostecki) came out and we got stuck behind him which hampered our result in the end. I think seventh was pretty solid in the second race. It’s been a pretty tough weekend for myself, but I’m looking forward to having a few weeks off, refreshing and getting ready to go again for the second half of the year.”

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
“The first qualifying session was amazingly close – 0.0006 which was really cool. Both Cam (Waters) and I were pushing really hard this weekend, and he just got us. In the second qualifying session, I didn’t maximise, but I was still lucky enough to be second. If I was on the wrong side of half-a-tenth, I would have been sixth or something, so I got very lucky there. Our boys have been pushing so hard with pit stops and it’s paid dividends. All of the practice they’ve put in enabled us to put a lot of pressure on some of the other teams during the race. Because of that, we managed to get the undercut, and I pulled a pass, but it was set up because of the guys in the pits. In the last race, we had to do something different. They looked like they made a tweak to Cam (Waters’) car which made it better, so we had to try something different by changing three tyres. The extra tyres gave us the fastest lap too, so it worked out well for us.”

Broc Feeney – Car #88
Practice 1 – 23rd (1:19.8426)
Practice 2 – Seventh (1:18.8055)
Qualifying, Race 13 – Eighth (1:18.7719)
Race 13 – 10th

Championship standings – Seventh (777 points)

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
Practice 1 – 13th (1:19.4802)
Practice 2 – First (1:18.4468)
Qualifying, Race 13 – Pole (1:18.2644)
Race 13 – Second

Championship standings – First (1179 points)

Broc Feeney – Car #88
“This year during the sprint rounds, I think we’ve done well in our qualifying performances. At the end of the day, if you qualify well, it gives you more time on the track and more time on good tyres. It was great to get through to Q3, and even better that we didn’t have to do any extra runs to get into the last qualifying session which is an added bonus. Our Q3 lap wasn’t very good, I made a mistake and probably lost a few spots, but P8 was reasonable. I felt like we could have been a few spots further up the grid, but Shane got pole which was awesome, and shows what our cars are capable of. I didn’t get a great start in the race, there was a bit of biff-and-barge out there. I didn’t put myself in a great position and got hit off the track a couple of times. There’s a lot of things to improve on for tomorrow to make the car a bit better over longer distances, but first of all I need to figure out what areas I can improve in myself. It all starts with getting a better start and trying to qualify a bit further up the grid. I learnt a lot today, and hopefully we can do a good job tomorrow.”

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
“Qualifying was great today, it’s the best qualifying car I’ve ever had at Winton. We didn’t have a great Q2 but we obviously got through, but in Q1 and Q3 the car was great. I was super stoked to get pole here because it’s not our best qualifying track normally, so it was a really good result. I had another dud start in the race, unfortunately. I tried a different technique which we’ve been planning, but it didn’t quite work out. Going backwards in a race is never fun, and the race would have been different if we got a good start. Towards the end, I was kind of settled for second, but then Cam (Waters) gave me an invitation to pass, so I drove in and had a go, but then he cut across me at the last corner which I would have done as well, and that damaged our car. Sometimes I need to settle for second, but sometimes I can’t help myself.”

New Holland Service Parts Technician Daniel Just is the first winner of several opportunities to join the Red Bull Ampol Racing pit crew trackside during the 2022 Supercars Championship season.

Daniel, a Service Parts Technician at McIntosh & Son’s Wongan Hills branch in Western Australia, won the chance to join the team on the tools at the Perth SuperNight from April 30 to May 1, learning how to set up the cars for race days.

He was side by side with the team as Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen came away with two wins from the weekend.

As part of the company’s new partnership with Red Bull Ampol Racing for the 2022 Supercars Championship season, New Holland Apprentices, Technicians, and Managers can win the opportunity to be a part one of seven Supercars races.

Growing up around machinery, Daniel loved anything related to the agricultural industry, working with his father on the farm or in the shed, watching him, make, fix and service tools and equipment.

“I knew from an early age a career in agricultural machinery would be the path for me. I’ve been with McIntosh & Son for six years, firstly as an apprentice and now as a Service Parts Technician,” he said.

“Winning this experience with the Red Bull Ampol Racing was unexpected, but I learned more about motorsport, the high-powered performance vehicles, and the people that make a winning team. I’m grateful to be awarded this opportunity, which very few people will ever get the chance to experience.

“On the Red Bull Ampol team, each person has a job to do. With the help of all team members each job is performed flawlessly, from working on the vehicles, setting up and packing away, to helping the drivers prepare for races.

“In my role, I’m passionate about helping customers with any problems they might have, teaching customers how to use and operate equipment, and passing on any knowledge to up and coming apprentices and mechanics.

“My experience at the Perth SuperNight will allow me to transfer new skills on high powered supercars to my work and define the roles and responsibilities that make our McIntosh & Son team a success.”

New Holland Australia and New Zealand General Manager Bruce Healy said he is proud of the exceptional and emerging talent coming through the New Holland workshops, such as Daniel at McIntosh & Son.

“Daniel is a part of the high calibre experts in our network, and we’re pleased to be able to recognise and reward him for keeping our customers’ operations running every day,” Mr Healy said.

“The New Holland team members who are rewarded with this experience are required to apply their skills from high-powered agricultural machines to high-powered performance vehicles in a high-pressure setting.

“With Daniel’s pit crew experience focused on high performance vehicle maintenance, team roles, and driver preparation, he can apply his refined high-performance knowledge in a high-pressure situation to his own work on agricultural machinery.”