Brown Banks Solid Darwin Points

Will Brown delivered three consistent finishes across the 2026 betr Darwin Triple Crown, scoring fifth, fifth, and fourth for Red Bull Ampol Racing across Races 17, 18 and 19 of the Supercars Championship.

Race 17 — P5

The Darwin Triple Crown opener produced a solid result for Brown, who finished fifth in a race dominated by Ford machinery. Brown demonstrated strong race craft throughout the 70-lap contest, holding his position and fending off challenges in the closing stages despite Brodie Kostecki defending hard for fourth on the final restart. The points haul was a solid foundation for the weekend ahead.

Race 18 — P5

Saturday brought qualifying heartbreak before a strong race recovery. Brown was among the championship contenders eliminated in the top 10 shootout — a result he put down to a strategic miscalculation, saying he and the team had been trying to save a set of greens for the shootout but simply didn't get through. Starting outside the top 10, Brown immediately put his head down and charged forward. Brown's ability to rescue fifth from such a compromised starting position underscored the racecraft that has made him a consistent threat throughout 2026.

Race 19 — P4

Sunday's finale delivered Brown's best finish of the weekend in a race that featured strategic intrigue inside the Red Bull Ampol Racing garage. Brown qualified sixth in the top 10 shootout and ran a composed race into the top five. With the Mustang on fresher rubber in the final stint, the team gave Brown the opportunity to pass teammate Broc Feeney and attempt to chase down Cam Waters for third place. Brown was unable to overcome Waters' defence in the closing laps, and when the Safety Car was triggered by a dramatic mechanical failure from another competitor with four laps remaining, the race finished under yellow — leaving Brown fourth.

Through three races at Hidden Valley, Brown demonstrated the kind of racecraft and consistency that has defined his championship campaign. Despite the pace deficit the team is working to address, back-to-back fifth places and a fourth on Sunday kept Brown in contention in the points standings. Reflecting on the weekend, he noted that Red Bull Ampol Racing had pushed outside of their comfort zone to better understand the #87 Ford Mustang — work that the team intends to build on.

"We probably stepped out of the box a little bit more to just try and understand what we've got in this car and package. We need to keep doing that."

The 2026 Supercars Championship resumes at the NTI Townsville 500 on July 10-12.