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PREVIEW: COMPETITION TO INCREASE AT WINTON
Three different drivers won the three races in the opening round at Phillip Island in the most competitive start to a season of what is now the official third-tier of Supercars Racing in Australia.
16-year-old Queenslander Broc Feeney grabbed position and a race one victory aboard his Exit Timeshare Now / Paul Morris Motorsport Falcon while MW Motorsport teammates Zac Best and Hamish Ribarits split the second and third races.
Best won the round over Ribarits and Feeney with just five points splitting the top three overall.
The three teenagers will lead a 20-car field to Winton with a host of drivers proving in the season opener that they have the potential to challenge at the front this year.
Formula 4 graduate Jayden Ojeda finished fifth overall at Winton with his privateer Anderson Motorsport Falcon right in the mix with the host of highly experienced teams around him.
Karter Josh Fyfe was sixth for Brad Jones Racing who head to their home circuit this weekend looking for a hattrick of round wins at the 3.2 km circuit only an hour from their Albury base.
Jack Smith who will return to the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship this weekend as a wildcard entry won both the 2017 and 2018 Kumho Series rounds at Winton: winning four of the six races contested as well as grabbing pole position in 2017.
After a tough start to his circuit racing career Fyfe improved throughout the Phillip Island race weekend to finish the pair of Sunday races fourth and seventh respectively.
MW Motorsport had three cars in the mix at Phillip Island with Nic Carroll also in the hunt before an unfortunate tyre issue in the final race dropped him out of podium contention.
Proven race winner Jon McCorkindale had a season opener hed rather forget engine issues slowing his Dial Before you Dig Falcon throughout the weekend.
Though he ultimately salvaged enough points to score eighth overall the New South Wales driver will be keen to bounce back this weekend at a circuit where he finished fourth last year.
In the Kumho Cup for Pro-Am competitors Jim Pollicina will look to extend his round one-winning form though this weekend he will be doing it in a different car.
The Sydneysider has parked his ex-Tasman Motorsport VE Commodore for the round and will instead drive the Triple Eight-built VE Commodore owned by Geoff Emery.
The car swap is something of a returned favour for the pair after Emery raced Pollicinas Touring Car Masters Torana earlier in the season.
Pollicina narrowly won the Kumho Cup class at Winton last year and kicked off his title defence in style at Phillip Island last month by taking the round victory over Chris Smerdon and Brad Neill.
The field entered for Winton remains the same as Phillip Island though is presently minus the one entry of American driver Matt Powers who finished fourth in the opening round.
The Kumho Tyre Super3 series will contest three races across the Truck Assist Winton SuperSprint weekend.
It marks the 10th time that the series will have visited the country Victorian venue with the first trip coming in 2009.
Ford Falcons won the first six straight Winton rounds however the Blue Oval has not tasted success at the venue since 2015 when Alex Rullo became the youngest ever winner of an Australian Touring Car round.
Taz Douglas and back-to-back wins from Jack Smith have ensured Holden has remained on top since.
Douglas holds both the race (1m23.3446s) and qualifying (1m24.3667s) lap records at Winton.
Two practice sessions and qualifying make Friday a particularly busy day on-track with the first two races to be held on Saturday.
Sundays finale will be the longest of the weekend and carries a heavier points weighting as a result.
Qualifying and all three races will be shown live on FOX Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.
RACE SCHEDULE:
* indicates live on FOX Sports 506 and Kayo Sports
Friday 24 May
PRACTICE 1: 9:55am
RRACTICE 2: 12:35am
QUALIFYING: 14:45pm *
Saturday 25 May
RACE 1: 8:10am *
RACE 2: 12:35pm *
Sunday 26 May
RACE 3: 12:05pm *
ENTRY LIST – ROUND 2
| Car # | CLASS | SPONSOR | DRIVER | STATE | VEHICLE | MODEL |
| 2 | Kumho Cup | Page Bros Jayco | Steven Page | VIC | Commodore | VE II |
| 3 | Kumho Cup | Edge Consulting Engineers | Shane Hunt | QLD | Ford Falcon | BF |
| 4 | Kumho Cup | Crusher Parts International | Tony Auddino | VIC | Ford Falcon | BF |
| 5 | Championship | MW Motorsport | Hamish Ribarits | VIC | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 8 | Championship | Brad Jones Racing | Madeline Stewart | NZ | Commodore | VE II |
| 9 | Kumho Cup | Neill Motorsport | Bradley Neill | QLD | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 11 | Championship | Anderson Motorsport | Jayden Ojeda | NSW | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 12 | Championship | Image Racing | Matt McLean | VIC | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 14 | Championship | Brad Jones Racing | Josh Fife | ACT | Commodore | VE II |
| 17 | Kumho Cup | TFMaintenance | Jason Foley | ACT | Ford Falcon | BF |
| 23 | Kumho Cup | HF Racing | Francois Habib | VIC | Commodore | VZ |
| 35 | Kumho Cup | Matt Stone Racing | Jason Gomersall | QLD | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 39 | Kumho Cup | Vectra Corp | Chris Smerdon | SA | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 48 | Championship | MW Motorsport | Nic Carroll | VIC | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 67 | Championship | Exit Timeshare Now Racing | Broc Feeney | QLD | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 69 | Championship | Dial Before You Dig/Mac Motorsport | Jon McCorkindale | NSW | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 76 | Kumho Cup | Garry Hills Racing | Garry Hills | WA | Commodore | VE II |
| 78 | Championship | MW Motorsport | Zak Best | VIC | Ford Falcon | FG |
| 84 | Kumho Cup | Rsport Race Engineering | Emily Duggan | NSW | Commodore | VE |
| 888 | Kumho Cup | Mocomm Motorsports Communications | Jim Pollicina | NSW | Commodore | VE |