Allen determined to repeat history in Adelaide

Kai Allen is hoping that lightning can strike twice as his quest for back-to-back Super2 Series victories boils down to a three-way title decider at the VAILO Adelaide 500.

After his well-documented struggles at the Repco Bathurst 1000, Allen has dropped from first to third in the Super2 standings, with a 126-point advantage turning into a 42-point deficit with two races left in the season.

Crucially, after his heavy Bathurst qualifying crash, Allen was cleared of a re-break to the collarbone he hurt last year, but required treatment after hurting his AC joint.

But whilst a battered and bruised Allen saw Zach Bates and Aaron Cameron capitalise on his misfortunes at Bathurst, the 19-year-old knows all too well it isn't over until the chequered flag flies on Sunday.

Allen has been at the centre of tense Dunlop Series title deciders in the past two seasons on the streets of Adelaide, in both Super3 and Super2 respectively.

In 2022, Allen had a 54 point advantage over Brad Vaughan heading into the final race of the Super3 Series, however he was bitten by the infamous Turn 8 sweeper, allowing fellow South Aussie Vaughan to claim an unlikely title.

12 months later, the tables were turned as Allen trailed Zak Best by 30 points heading into last year's Super2 Series finale in Adelaide, however a collision with Nash Morris ultimately cost Best dearly as Allen claimed the title by six points.

Allen became the youngest Super2 champion at 18 years and 153 days old, and is aiming to become the first back-to-back champion in development series history, and the fourth to win multiple titles, and was bullish about his chances on Supercars.com's Schick Cool Down Lap podcast.

"Yeah it is, look last year with [Zak] Besty, I think I was 30 behind, this time I'm only 42 behind, so it can happen. As you've seen this weekend, anything can happen with me, so who knows?" said Allen.

"Adelaide's pretty cruel, I lost the Super3 Series that was unlosable [in 2022], so we'll see how we go, but I'm excited to get down there."

"The Eggleston guys are going to rebuild the car and it's going to be brand new, so hopefully we've got some serious speed there and can put the pressure on and anything can happen."

The Mount Gambier product was able to regain some much-needed confidence with a clean drive in the Repco Bathurst 1000 on Sunday, getting through his stint without any mistakes.

Pairing with Will Davison in the famous #17 Ford, the combination finished 12th in the race, a remarkable effort given Davison's massive 58G crash in qualifying after losing it through The Esses.

Remarkably, the car didn't miss a session on track, with the Shell V-Power Racing crew pulling a remarkable all-nighter to get the car back on track for Saturday practice.

"It was actually incredible to see the guys work so hard. They did an all-nighter, only had half an hour of sleep on Friday night, so they're going to sleep for a couple of days, but the car was really good," he said.

"We just struggled all weekend and Will was just trying to push it in qualy to salvage something and it wasn't quite right. Unfortunately he was in the fence and this place can bite, as we saw in my qualifying too in Super2, so to get a result was really good, especially after Sandown having a pretty bad crash there as well and not scoring many points.

"We should have been top 10 there, but got caught out at a pit stop and a few other things, but my pace was really good, I was really happy with the way the car was and just trying to end on a high with the Shell V-Power Racing Team, which I think we did considering all things on Friday.

"Looking at the car, it looked unsalvageable, so to walk away with 12th, you look on the timesheet and it's not where you want to be, but it's pretty good, so I think I'm happy with that.

"Will and I were doing qualy laps all race for what we had, so to walk away making next to zero mistakes was pretty rare. I think we had a faultless race, and we'll see how they go for the rest of the year."

Bathurst was an emotional weekend for Allen, who also drove his final race for Dick Johnson Racing, pairing up with Will Davison to finish 12th in the Repco Bathurst 1000.

Having made his Supercars Championship debut last year in a DJR Bathurst wildcard, the 19-year-old made sure to give his thanks to the team, whilst also looking forward to his new challenge with Grove Racing in 2025 and beyond.

"It was tricky, being there for the last few years, they gave me my chance in Supercars, but I'm excited for next year," he said.

"It's going to be really good, so got to get through Adelaide with Super2, and we'll see how we got and then move to Melbourne and be a grown up."

Allen will take on Bates and Cameron for the 2024 Dunlop Super2 Series title at the VAILO Adelaide 500 from November 14-17. Tickets for the event are on sale now.