​Cam Waters led a Ford Mustang parade to victory in the first of three Supercars races on the Reid Park street circuit in Townsville, Queensland. Waters and Dick Johnson Racing’s Brodie Kostecki went into the final tour of the 35-lap race with nose-to-tail pressure, but Kostecki, who had been charging through the field in the late stages, fell just short of stealing the win. Kostecki started from pole for the fifth time this season but dropped positions at the start as Waters and Matt Payne (Grove Racing) swept past him immediately. Yet Kostecki quickly regained his pace and settled into second behind Waters before the pit stop cycle began.
Waters pitted on lap 18, while Kostecki stayed out for another six laps. The strategy paid off for Waters, who stretched his lead, leaving Payne in second place when Kostecki finally rejoined the circuit. The DJR Mustang, sporting a special yellow livery for the weekend, closed in as Kostecki found a way around Payne, but Waters held on to win by a slim 0.200 seconds. “Brodie got a bad one at the start, but I was keen to reach Turn 2 first,” Waters said. “I was a little surprised to grab P1. I just tried to manage that last stint, knowing he was behind me, and I was careful with that final lap. I’m glad there wasn’t another lap. It’s nice to be at the pointy end.”
Kostecki explained his late-pit decision, saying, “I made the call to pit after watching Cam come in. I didn’t want to pit behind him. We’re looking pretty good for tomorrow. I thought I’d take a big dive into the last corner, but Cam is a smart racer.” Payne, celebrating his 11th podium of the season, was pleased with the result despite some car issues. “I picked up a bit of a vibration early on,” he said. “It didn’t get worse, and I managed to finish. We need a little more speed. I was really hoping he [Kostecki] would have stretched Waters a bit longer to make it a proper battle. The strategy was cool and it turned out to be very close. I knew that starting from the front gave us a good chance to convert it into solid points.”
Payne’s teammate Kai Allen took fourth place after trading a position with Payne during their pit stops, while Chaz Mostert finished fifth. The Walkinshaw TWG Supra showed strong pace despite a minor engine issue during qualifying, proving to be the fastest of the Toyotas as it jumped to second on the opening lap before yielding positions. Cameron Waters’ victory capped a strong day for the field, with Waters holding off Kostecki in a high-stakes, late-race duel.
Thomas Randle delivered a noteworthy performance for Tickford, claiming sixth place after spotting a technical problem that had limited his practice time. Randle’s extended run in the race demonstrated his ability to stay out of trouble across all 35 laps, a crucial attribute for defending a top-10 championship position. The polished balance of strategy, pit timing, and on-track speed produced an exciting, tightly contested result in Townsville, setting up an intriguing series as the season moves forward.