Sydney showdown stars expect new style of racing
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 22 February 2025
In the aftermath of an unforgettable Sydney 500 Saturday night showdown, Cam Waters, Will Brown and Broc Feeney are expecting more rubbing and racing.
That is the takeaway after they were allowed to go all out for glory in a stunning Race 2 of the Sydney 500.
Those who watched the battle will never forget it as Waters and the Triple Eight teammates raced door to door throughout the final five laps.
It ended with an epic drag race to the line where Waters stole it from Feeney by the barest of margins, but building up to that were a number of flashpoints.
Waters, Feeney and Brown all left witness marks on each other as they battled like crazy for victory, highlighted by the #6 spinning the #88 at Turn 4.
Notably and thankfully none of the incidents were penalised, ensuring a straight out fight for victory could take place.
It was a notable change to the last time rubs were part of deciding moves late in the race at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2023 when Shane van Gisbergen was penalised for a bump and run on Will Brown.
Triple Eight did request Motorsport Australia to take a deeper look into fight for victory, but the governing body denied it, ensuring Waters epic win stood.
After more leniency and entertainment was on display in 2025, both defeated Triple Eight teammates expect more rubbing and racing in the future.
“There was a fair bit of contact in that race but I think they have shown they are going to let you race a fair bit harder by the looks of it,” a “gutted” runner-up Feeney said.
“I think with the readdress Cam let me back side by side and I think that was not super great.
“Then the last corner he tried to redress once again and tried slipstream past me.
“Everyone is probably going to agree now that is how we race.
“It will be a new style that we will approach this year if we are allowed to bump and race each other.
“With finals coming and what has happened over the last couple of years there has been a lot of talk over how they want to go about racing.
“We are starting to go down the NASCAR style where in general you can rub a little bit more, so I think we were all running into each other a lot and that is what a lot want to see.
“That is one of the best races we have seen in a while.”
Despite having a similar take, Brown admitted he worries there could now be an inconsistency between when fighting for victory and minor places.
“It is a bit of a grey area now,” the reigning champion said.
“The race was so exciting so you don’t want to penalise anyone but also if you do that for fifth they will, so it is a grey area.
“That is the hardest thing for us going into the season if we can do that everyday.
“This year that race sets a new standard in what we can and can’t do.
“I think it is good though because we need to race hard and need to know what we can and can’t get away with.
“It was great racing at the end of the day.”
2025 Sydney 500
Practice 1: A. De Pasquale 1:30.0226 2: D. Reynolds +0.4742 3: J. Courtney +0.5039
Qualifying 1: C. Waters 1:28.6968 2: B. Feeney +0.2544 3: M. Payne +0.4559
Race 1: C. Waters 2: C. Mostert 3: T. Randle
Qualifying: 1 C. Waters 1:28.8998 2: B. Feeney +0.2187 3: M. Payne +0.4045
Shootout: 1 C. Waters 1:29.1362 2: B. Feeney 1:29.3630 3: C. Mostert 1:29.3997
Race 2: C. Waters 2: B. Feeney +0.0308 3: W. Brown +0.1996
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