The 2018 Melbourne 400 (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2018 Coates Hire Supercars Melbourne 400) was a
motor racing
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...
event for the
Supercars Championship
The Supercars Championship is a touring car racing category in Australia, running as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations, governing the sport.
Supercars events take place in all Australi ...
that was held on the weekend of 22 to 25 March 2018. The event was run at the
Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropoli ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, and marked the first running of the
Melbourne 400
The Melbourne 400 (formally known as the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria since 2018. The 2018 edition was the first time that a championship roun ...
. It was the second event of sixteen in the
2018 Supercars Championship
The 2018 Supercars Championship (known for commercial reasons as the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship) was an FIA-sanctioned international motor racing series for Supercars. It was the twentieth running of the Supercars Championship a ...
and consisted of two races of 130 kilometres, and two races of 70 kilometers.
The races were run in support of the
2018 Australian Grand Prix
The 2018 Australian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 2018 Rolex Australian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 25 March 2018 in Melbourne, Victoria. The race was contested at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit and was the ...
and marked the first time that the
Supercars support races would be a points-paying round of the Supercars Championship.
Results
Practice
Race 3
Qualifying
;Notes
*–
Todd Hazelwood, although his best time exceeded the specified qualifying time cut-off, the Stewards gave him permission to race.
Race
Championship standings after Race 3
;Drivers Championship
;Teams Championship
*
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Race 4
Qualifying
;Notes
*–
James Golding received a 5-place grid penalty for impeding
Craig Lowndes
Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing driver in the Repco Supercars Championship competing in the Holden ZB Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator.
Lowndes is a three-time V8 Su ...
during qualifying.
Race
;Notes
*–
Jack Le Brocq
Jack Le Brocq (born 7 July 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver. He currently competes in the Repco Supercars Championship, and drives the No. 34 Holden Commodore ZB for Matt Stone Racing. So far, Le Brocq's career highlights inc ...
received a 15-second Time Penalty for Careless Driving, causing contact with
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 5 Ford Mustang GT for Tickford Racing. Courtney won the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series ...
.
Championship standings after Race 4
;Drivers Championship
;Teams Championship
*
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Race 5
Qualifying
;Notes
*–
Todd Hazelwood received a 5-place grid penalty for impeding
Lee Holdsworth
Lee Holdsworth (born 2 February 1983) is a semi-retired Australian racing driver. He won the 2021 Bathurst 1000 alongside Chaz Mostert and finished his full-time career after the 2022 season, after nearly two decades of racing. He plans to retu ...
during qualifying.
Race
;Notes
*–
Anton de Pasquale
Anton De Pasquale (born 14 September 1995) is an Australian motor racing driver. He currently drives the No. 11 Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Repco Supercars Championship in 2021. He briefly raced in various Formula Renault se ...
received a 5-second post-race Time Penalty for Careless Driving, failing to leave room and causing
Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly (born 17 January 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver who previously competed in the Supercars Championship. He last drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang GT for Kelly Racing. Previously, he drove for the HSV Dealer Team with w ...
lost 4 positions.
Championship standings after Race 5
;Drivers Championship
;Teams Championship
*
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Race 6
Qualifying
;Notes
*–
James Courtney
James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 5 Ford Mustang GT for Tickford Racing. Courtney won the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series ...
and
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane Robert van Gisbergen (born 9 May 1989) is a New Zealand racing driver in the Supercars Championship racing in the Number 97 Holden ZB Commodore car for Triple Eight Race Engineering. With three Supercars Championship wins (2016, 2021, 202 ...
, although their best time exceeded the specified qualifying time cut-off, the Stewards gave them permission to race.
Race
;Notes
*–
Cameron Waters
Cameron Waters (born 3 August 1994) is an Australian motor racing driver who competes in the Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 6 Ford Mustang GT for Tickford Racing. He is the cousin of Australian Superbike champion J ...
received a 5-second Time Penalty for Careless Driving, causing contact with
Anton de Pasquale
Anton De Pasquale (born 14 September 1995) is an Australian motor racing driver. He currently drives the No. 11 Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Repco Supercars Championship in 2021. He briefly raced in various Formula Renault se ...
.
*–
Lee Holdsworth
Lee Holdsworth (born 2 February 1983) is a semi-retired Australian racing driver. He won the 2021 Bathurst 1000 alongside Chaz Mostert and finished his full-time career after the 2022 season, after nearly two decades of racing. He plans to retu ...
received a Pit-Lane Penalty equivalent Time Penalty (40 seconds) for a breach of the Safety Car Restart procedures.
Championship standings after Race 6
;Drivers Championship
;Teams Championship
*
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
External links
{{V8 race report
, Name_of_race = Melbourne 400
, Year_of_race = 2018
, Previous_race_in_season =
2018 Adelaide 500
, Next_race_in_season =
2018 Tasmania SuperSprint
The 2018 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint was a motor racing event for the Supercars Championship, held on the weekend of 6 to 8 April 2018. The event was held at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launceston, Tasmania, and was scheduled to consist of one ...
, Previous_year's_race =
2017 Coates Hire Supercars Challenge
, Next_year's_race =
2019 Melbourne 400
The 2019 Melbourne 400 (known for sponsorship purposes as the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400) was a motor racing event for the Supercars Championship held as a support event to the 2019 Australian Grand Prix from 14 March to 17 March 2019. It was held ...
Melbourne 400
Melbourne 400
The Melbourne 400 (formally known as the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria since 2018. The 2018 edition was the first time that a championship roun ...
Melbourne 400
The Melbourne 400 (formally known as the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria since 2018. The 2018 edition was the first time that a championship roun ...