Cam Waters ended a 47-race winless streak with a victory in Race 17 at the Darwin Triple Crown, surviving a one-lap dash to secure his first Supercars win of the 2026 season.

The Tickford Racing driver started fourth but moved into third when Matt Payne struggled to launch. At the front, Brodie Kostecki and Anton De Pasquale ran side by side before Waters slipped underneath De Pasquale at Turn 1 to claim second.

Kostecki initially controlled the race, but his pace declined and a train of cars formed behind the Shell V-Power Mustang. De Pasquale and Ryan Wood responded by making early pit stops on Laps 6 and 7, forcing Kostecki to cover them on the following lap.

Waters remained on track and continued setting competitive times despite running older tyres. Payne and Kai Allen also extended their opening stints, allowing the three Ford drivers to build a strategic advantage over their rivals.

Waters finally stopped at the beginning of Lap 19 and returned to the circuit just over one second behind Kostecki. With significantly fresher tyres, the Monster Mustang closed the gap and reclaimed the effective lead at Turn 1 on Lap 23.

The Penrite Racing Mustangs also charged back into contention following their pit stops. Allen passed De Pasquale at Turn 1 with eight laps remaining, while Payne followed him through before both drivers moved ahead of Kostecki to create an all-Ford top three.

The race changed again when Jack Le Brocq spun David Reynolds at Turn 5 with three laps remaining. Although Reynolds quickly continued, officials deployed the Safety Car and handed Le Brocq a 15-second penalty.

That intervention erased Waters’ advantage and created a tense one-lap sprint to the chequered flag. Allen applied pressure at the restart, but Waters remained composed and protected the lead to deliver a long-awaited victory for himself and Tickford Racing.

Allen crossed the line second ahead of Payne, completing a dominant Mustang podium. Kostecki recovered to finish fourth after resisting Will Brown on the final lap, while De Pasquale secured sixth.

Chaz Mostert, Wood, Jayden Ojeda and Macauley Jones completed the top ten. Championship leader Broc Feeney endured a difficult race from 13th on the grid, with an off-track moment following his pit stop contributing to a 14th-place result.

For Waters, the breakthrough ended a victory drought stretching back to February 2025 and marked a welcome return to form for Tickford.

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