7 stats that highlight how competitive Supercars is in 2024
Supercars
07 Sep
The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship has delivered some incredible racing and intriguing storylines throughout the first 18 races of the season.
After Red Bull Ampol Racing dominated the opening races of the season, the chasing pack has caught up, led by Chaz Mostert and a resurgent Walkinshaw Andretti United.
However, plenty of drivers have had their moments in the sun this year whether it be in qualifying or race trim, highlighting the close and unpredictable nature of Supercars racing.
With enduro season upon us, Supercars.com takes a look at some of the key numbers from a highly competitive start to the 2024 season.
Of the 18 races held so far in the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, 10 have been won by a margin of two-and-a-half seconds or less. In a unique quirk, Nick Percat has the two tightest winning margins under green flag conditions for the season. In Race 6 at the Australian Grand Prix, Percat held off Will Brown by just 0.3810s to claim his first win since 2020, and finished just 0.6142s ahead of hard-charging former teammate Chaz Mostert in Race 17 in Tasmania.
There have been seven different winners in 2024, representing six of the 11 teams on the grid this season. Broc Feeney has the most wins for the season at five, with Red Bull Ampol Racing teammate Will Brown, WAU star Chaz Mostert, and Tickford Racing ace Cam Waters all on three wins apiece. As mentioned above, Nick Percat has two wins for MSR, whilst Matt Payne (Penrite Racing) and Andre Heimgartner (Brad Jones Racing) both have a single win against their names this season. Remarkably, only Feeney (Darwin) and Mostert (Sydney) are the only drivers to record consecutive wins, with their streaks ending at two!
Nine different drivers have earned Boost Mobile Pole Awards in 2024, including a first-time pole winner in Darwin. James Golding earned a career-first pole position for both himself and PremiAir Racing for Race 11 in Darwin, and is one of five drivers with a single pole to their name this year.
Cam Waters has proven to be the qualifying king this year, with five pole positions to his name, with Broc Feeney close behind on four poles. Matt Payne and Chaz Mostert both have two pole positions to their name, with Will Brown, Golding, Jack Le Brocq, Will Davison, and Thomas Randle all on one. The nine pole-winning drivers represent seven teams.
10 of the 18 pole positions won this season have been decided by a margin of less than a tenth of a second, highlighting how competitive qualifying has been in 2024. The closest margin between first and second in qualifying this season was set in qualifying for Race 16 in Sydney, where Will Davison pipped Chaz Mostert by just 0.0007s.
That isn’t the only time the number 10 makes an appearance, as that is also the amount of drivers who have recorded fastest laps in the 18 races this season. Chaz Mostert is top of the tree in this regard with four fastest laps across the season. Some notable feats include Ryan Wood scoring the fastest lap in just his eighth career start on home soil in Taupō, and Triple Eight wildcard Cooper Murray scoring the fastest lap on debut in Darwin
Of the 24 full-time drivers on the grid this season, 13 have made their way onto the podium in the first 18 races of the season. The five drivers with the most podium finishes this season also represent the top five in the points standings, underlining how crucial consistency is in such a tight field. Will Brown’s remarkable strike rate of standing on the podium at every event sees him top the list with 14 podiums for the season, ahead of Chaz Mostert (10), Broc Feeney (nine), Cam Waters (six), and Matt Payne (four).
Further emphasising the competition this year, 13 of the 18 races have been won from outside pole position. Payne’s strategic charge from 10th in Race 14 at Townsville is the farthest back a race winner has started in the Gen3 era. The only five races won from pole this year have been Race 3 (Melbourne, won by Feeney), Race 9 (Perth, Mostert), Race 10 (Perth, Waters), Race 12 (Darwin, Feeney), and Race 13 (Townsville, Waters).
Of the 24 full-time drivers (27 if you include wildcards and stand-ins), 16 have at least one career win to their names. The most successful driver in the field this season is Mark Winterbottom with 39 career victories. There is every chance that more drivers could add their name to the tally before this year is out, with the likes of Thomas Randle and James Golding both knocking on the door of their maiden wins at Darwin and Tasmania respectively.
This is the number that sets up a tantalising conclusion to the 2024 season. 81 points is all that separates Will Brown and Chaz Mostert at the head of the points standings, with Brown's teammate Broc Feeney 198 points off the lead and Cam Waters 350 behind. The gap between Brown and Mostert is the smallest gap between first and second heading into the enduros since 2018. Back then, it was Shane van Gisbergen who led fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin by 19 points after The Bend SuperSprint, with McLaughlin going on to claim his maiden title by 71 points. Will we see another late season turnaround this year?
