A quarter of a century of Supercars racing in Darwin

The 2023 Darwin Triple Crown raises a quarter of a century of Supercars racing at the top end and the first encounter in 1998 was a wild one.

From the moment Supercars arrived at Hidden Valley Raceway for the first time in 1998, it was clear the sport had established a special event out of the ordinary.

Starved of high-level sport, over 25,000 Territorians “went troppo” over the V8s first appearance where Russell Ingall sent a championship-shaking statement in the penultimate round of the season.

As strange misfortune hit Craig Lowndes and the Holden Racing Team and Ingall appeared at home in the new Castrol Perkins VT Commodore, the “Enforcer” from 60 points to six with wins from the final two races.

Qualifying

Supercars stepped into the unknown when a 33-car field got its first look at the now familiar 2.9k Hidden Valley Raceway, which was then surrounded by sand and dirt.

The first ever Northern Territory pole position looked set to go to a regular face in Lowndes, who sat at the top of the timesheets with a 1:07.74 which proved too good for Mark Skaife, who outbraked himself at “the Hill” and send many plastic bottles flying into the air after finding the fence.

But Jason Bright was keen to give the Ford fans something to cheer about and snatched pole with his final flying lap with a 1:09.41 in his Pirtek Stone Brothers Racing Ford EL Falcon.

It was a big moment for not only Bright, but also Ford, which had won just six of the 24 races up until that point. 

“We have been saying all year Hidden Valley is our best opportunity because no one has an advantage on us,” he said post qualifying.

“We have had good qualifying performances all year, but we just have not been able to crack it, so it is good to get pole for the first time.

“I had to pull it all out on that last lap and I did it.”

Race 1

Russell Ingall cried the championship fight was far from over on the cover of AUTO ACTION #798 after a successful opening race in Darwin.

The long run up from the start line to the first turn has always produced action and this was certainly the case in the maiden race.

As Skaife got the jump and snatched lead from Bright as Lowndes crawled into action and Ingall flew from eighth to third, chaos ensued behind with Jason Bargwanna and John Bowe getting tangled up, which saw the #35 GRM Commodore spear off to the outside.

“My plan was to tuck in behind Skaife and someone hit me from behind,” Bargwanna said.

“I think someone hit Bargwanna and he hit me,” recalled Bowe.

“I wish they would use some common sense, you are not going to win the race from the first corner.

“I was minding my own business, did not crowd anyone and someone cleaned me up.”

More drama was soon to follow on Lap 4 when Ingall made a move for second on Bright at the final corner, but for the second time in the season contact saw the SBR Falcon finish off second best.

The spin saw Bright slip to 18th, while Ingall crossed the line 12th after a stop-go penalty. Both drivers were furious at each other.

“He just went into a spot where there was no room,” reflected Bright.

“I wanted to get a good run onto the straight and Russel just hit me.”

“He (Bright) might be quick over a lap, but in a race he is useless.

“I fired it down the inside and he just turned in on me.”

With Lowndes bouncing back from “my worst start ever” another HRT 1-2 was set in stone and Skaife just needed a mistake free run to score his second win of the year.

But it never came, as his engine dripped to seven cylinders on the penultimate lap and the drama allowed Lowndes to snatch the lead just metres before the chequered flag.

Despite the drama, the HRT formation finish was an ominous way for the VT Commodore to score its first Supercars victory.

The drama did not end there however, with Bright involved in another incident at the end of the circuit, this time spinning Dick Johnson on the final lap, which saw the #4 Pirtek Falcon disqualified.

Race 2

The second race of the weekend staged one of the strangest sights in Supercars.

There was “pandemonium in the pit lane” as GRM and HRT crews frantically tried to get their engines fixed in time for action.

Whilst GRM ensured Garth Tander could start from the pit lane, the eventual champions were panicking with no oil pressure in Skaife’s car and Lowndes’ engine refusing to fire.

It led to the extraordinary scene of the race beginning without a front row as neither HRT car could leave the garage.

Whilst Mark Larkham led the condensed field into Turn 1, Ingall was determined to capitalise on the golden opportunity of his arch rival sidelined in the pits.

It took the #8 Castrol Commodore to charge from 10th to first, while further back John Faulkner was sent into the wall after contact with Tander, which brought the Safety Car out on Lap 13.

This set up an intriguing dash to the flag, but even with Bargwanna applying the blowtorch, Ingall held on to take a crucial win.

Race 3

Despite HRT managing to get both of their stars onto the grid after more tiresome effort in the pits, the engine issues did not disappear in the final race.

Even after receiving a new engine, Lowndes had to return to the pits reporting overheating issues.

Meanwhile, his championship rival did everything he could to inflict maximum pain.

Ingall led off the line as a “huge melee” unfolded at Turn 1 where Mark Poole and Darren Pate spun across the pack and left Bright with nowhere to go, stuck in the tyre barrier and briefly up on two wheels.

“I came out of there on the inside and everyone was swerving all over the place to miss cars,” Bright described.

“Next thing Pate has come backwards into me and tagged my rear.”

The chaos brought the red flag out, which gave HRT the chance to inspect Lowndes’ smoking engine.

He was able to return to the field as Ingall controlled the restart and Bowe’s move on Larry Perkins at Turn 1 ended in disaster with the DJR #18 flying into the dirt.

Determined to regain the ground they lost, Skaife and Lowndes charged through the field as a single force and within five laps were already deep inside the top 10.

Despite the race remaining green Tony Longhurst suffered a “nightmare” stop-go penalty for crossing the white line on the inside of Turn 1, which robbed him of a breakthrough round win.

Skaife’s charge came unstuck when he spun at “Club House Corner” after a move on a back marker went wrong, while teammate Lowndes soared to sixth.

But he could not stop his arch rival Ingall from crushing to race and round honours ahead of Bargwanna after a count-back, plus the consistent Glenn Seton.

The late charge left Ingall believing he was the favourite in the championship fight ahead of the Oran Park finale in the title fight with Lowndes.

“I was feeling quite depressed after the first race, but it has all turned around,” a delighted Ingall said post race.

“Craig has had bad luck, but it is not like we have had our share through the year.

“I reckon it is evening up the score. I don’t see any reason why we cannot be competitive at Oran Park.

“I am planning to put a bit of money on myself and I don’t usually bet!”

If Ingall did have a flutter on the 1998 Supercars finale, he would have had many reasons to be disappointed as Lowndes scored a hat-trick of wins at Oran Park to take his second championship title.

1998 Darwin Triple Crown round results

1: Russell Ingall 96 points

2: Jason Bargwanna 96

3: Glenn Seton 86

4: Mark Larkham 80

5: Tony Longhurst 78

Main image: Mark Horsburgh

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