Matt Brabham both had -- and did -- some home cooking in the return to his native Australia this weekend.
Brabham, a third generation racer – grandson of former world champion Sir Jack Brabham and son of Geoff Brabham – continues to dominate the Speed Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Series with the overall round win in Perth, Western Australia.
It’s the 24-year-old Brabham’s third consecutive SST round victory for the DeVilbiss Racing Team, following triumphs at Long Beach, California and Adelaide, South Australia.
The format for this weekend’s SST event was changed from its usual one, with shootouts on Saturday and Sunday determining positions on the grid for both subsequent races.
Brabham finished second and first, respectively, in the shootouts. The grid for each race was inverted from the shootout results, meaning Brabham started at the back of the pack for both races on Saturday and Sunday.
Brabham finished sixth in the first race and fourth in the second race. However, the third-place finisher in the second race, Paul Morris, was penalized post-race, moving Brabham up one spot to a third-place official finish.
“This weekend has been overall tough as we were always fighting to get to the front, but to come away with a win is awesome,” Brabham said.
Brabham leads the SST standings with 195 points, followed by Gavin Harlien (160 points), series founder Robby Gordon (149 points), Cole Potts (130) and Arie Luyendyk Jr. (117).
The next SST race weekend is June 1-3, as part of INDYCAR’s “Duel In Detroit” event.
NOTES: Brabham got behind the wheel of the Preston Hire Racing Team Holden Commodore during Friday’s Australian V8 Supercars practice session.
“It was also great to get a taste for a couple of laps in the Preston Hire Racing car, and I’m definitely hungry for more,” Brabham said.
Brabham will pair with Lee Holdsworth for the PIRTEK Enduro Cup later this year. Brabham will remain in Australia to compete in the upcoming Winton Supercars event for Preston Hire Racing.
“I’m eager to learn from Lee and the team at Preston Hire Racing and help prepare the car so we can get a good result later in the year,” Brabham added.