2021 Boost Mobile Super Trucks Series

Paul Morris, the 2021 champion

The 2021 Boost Mobile Super Trucks Series was the second season for the Boost Mobile Super Trucks, an Australian off-road racing series that serves as a counterpart to the Stadium Super Trucks in the United States. Held over three race weekends, the season began at Symmons Plains Raceway on 17–18 April. The series supported Supercars Championship race weekends.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in multiple rounds being cancelled. Paul Morris and Shae Davies were tied for the most points accumulated across the three remaining weekends, though Morris won four races to Davies' two for the tiebreaker.

After the season, the trucks were returned to America after the series failed to renew its partnership with Supercars, who were under new ownership.[1] However, new Supercars CEO Shane Howard expressed his interest in bringing them back for 2023.[2]

Drivers

No. Driver Races
11 Australia Rob Whyte 4–9
12 United Kingdom Shaun Richardson All
39 Australia Russell Ingall 4–6
50 Australia Paul Weel All
66 Australia Phillip Foster 7–9
67 Australia Paul Morris All
70 Australia Travis Milburn 4–9
87 Australia Toby Price 7–9
88 Australia Shae Davies All
94 Australia Nash Morris 1, 4–6
Australia Russell Ingall 2–3
121 Australia Dave Casey All
410 Australia Greg Gartner 4–6
Sources:[a][b]

Schedule

Much of the 2020 season's schedule was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to only the season-opening Adelaide 500 being run.[8]

The first confirmed race of 2021 was the Darwin Triple Crown, which was announced in November 2020, in the trucks' first race there since 2017.[9][8] In March 2021, Speedcafe spoke with series manager Nathan Cayzer, who confirmed a seven-round schedule supporting the Supercars Championship.[10] A Boost Mobile Super Trucks weekend consists of three races, with the first on one day while the other two take place the following day.[11]

Restrictions in response to the pandemic resulted in the Perth SuperNight (originally scheduled for 11–12 September), Auckland SuperSprint (6–7 November), and Gold Coast 500 (4–5 December) being cancelled.[12][13] The Sydney SuperNight was initially postponed from 21–22 August to 19–21 November before being changed to a four-weekend stretch for the Supercars.[12][14] Although Supercars CEO Sean Seamer indicated his hope for the trucks to support a round at Sydney, no races took place.[15][16][17]

Round Track Location Date Supporting
1 Symmons Plains Raceway Tasmania Launceston, Tasmania 17–18 April Tasmania SuperSprint
2 Hidden Valley Raceway Northern Territory Darwin, Northern Territory 19–20 June Darwin Triple Crown
3 Reid Park Street Circuit Queensland Townsville, Queensland 10–11 July Townsville 500

Races cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Track Location Supporting
Wanneroo Raceway Western Australia Neerabup, Western Australia Perth SuperNight
Pukekohe Park Raceway New Zealand Pukekohe, Auckland Region Auckland SuperSprint
Surfers Paradise Street Circuit Queensland Surfers Paradise, Queensland Gold Coast 500
Sydney Motorsport Park New South Wales Eastern Creek, New South Wales Sydney SuperNight

Season summary

The season-opening weekend at Symmons Plains Raceway supported the Tasmania SuperSprint; the weekend was initially planned for 10–11 April before being postponed by a week due to COVID-related travel restrictions.[18] The six drivers for the weekend included two newcomers in Nash Morris, the son of Paul Morris, and Dave Casey, who tested a truck in 2020;[3][19] however, the younger Morris missed the first race due to back pain and was relieved by Russell Ingall for the rest of the weekend.[6] Paul Morris won two of the first three races while Shae Davies won the third.[20]

The second weekend at the Darwin Triple Crown saw the returns of Greg Gartner (raced in 2020), Travis Milburn (last raced in 2018), and Rob Whyte (last start in 2016).[4] Paul Weel flipped in the first race after contact with Casey resulted in a poor ramp entry, leading to a one-lap run to the finish as Paul Morris passed Gartner for the win; Morris also won the second race.[21] A healthy Nash Morris, making his debut in a truck originally arranged for Craig Dontas,[7] dominated the third before Davies overtook him in the final chicane as the two approached the finish.[22]

Toby Price began the Reid Park Street Circuit weekend by winning his first career race in his season debut.[23][24] Weel won the rest of the weekend's races for his maiden victories.[25]

The cancellation of the Gold Coast 500 and exclusion from the Supercars' Sydney tripleheader quietly ended the Boost Mobile Super Trucks season.[17] No season-long standings were properly tracked by the series (though weekend points were kept), though Morris and Davies were mathematically tied for the lead with 93 points apiece; Morris claimed the tiebreaker as he had four wins to Davies' two.[26]

Results and standings

Race results

Round Race Event Fastest qualifier Pole position Winning driver Ref
1 1 Tasmania Australia Paul Weel Australia Paul Morris Australia Paul Morris [27]
2 Australia Shae Davies Australia Paul Morris [28]
3 Australia Dave Casey Australia Shae Davies [29]
2 4 Darwin Australia Shae Davies Australia Dave Casey Australia Paul Morris [30]
5 Australia Russell Ingall Australia Paul Morris [31]
6 Australia Dave Casey Australia Shae Davies [32]
3 7 Townsville Australia Shae Davies Australia Shae Davies Australia Toby Price [33]
8 Australia Rob Whyte Australia Paul Weel [34]
9 Australia Rob Whyte Australia Paul Weel [35]

Drivers' championship

Rank Driver Tasmania
SYM 		Northern Territory
HID 		Queensland
TOW 		Points
1 Australia Paul Morris 1 1 2 1 1 6 4 6 2 93
2 Australia Shae Davies 5 2 1 3 2 1 2 7 3 93
3 Australia Paul Weel 3 3 4 9 5 3 5 1 1 84
4 United Kingdom Shaun Richardson 2 4 3 7 3 8 6 3[c] 6 75
5 Australia Dave Casey 4 6 5 8 10 10 8 5 7 54
6 Australia Travis Milburn 4 6 4 3 4[d] 5 53
7 Australia Nash Morris DNS Rpl† Rpl† 5 8 2 39
8 Australia Rob Whyte 6 7 9 7 9 4 36
9 Australia Toby Price 1 2 9 27
10 Australia Greg Gartner 2 4 7 26
11 Australia Russell Ingall 5† 6† 10 9 5 15
12 Australia Phillip Foster 9 8 8 14
Rank Driver Tasmania
SYM 		Northern Territory
HID 		Queensland
TOW 		Points
Sources:[36][37][38]
Legend
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th–5th place (Top 5)
Light Blue 6th–10th place (Top 10)
Dark Blue Finished (Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish (DNF)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Brown Withdrew (Wth)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled or abandoned (C)
Blank Did not participate (DNP)
Driver replacement (Rpl)
Race not held (NH)
Not competing
In-Line Notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
miscellaneous notation
Position
Points 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Bonuses
Fastest qualifier 1

Driver replacements

Key No. Original driver Replacement driver Race Ref
† 94 Nash Morris Russell Ingall Tasmania [6]
All points scored by the replacement went to the original driver.

Notes

  1. ^ Entry lists:
    • Tasmania (Races 1–3)[3]
    • Darwin (Races 4–6)[4]
    • Townsville (Races 7–9)[5]
  2. ^ Changes from the entry lists:
    • Tasmania: Russell Ingall replaced Nash Morris in the No. 94 for Races 2 and 3[6]
    • Darwin: Nash Morris and the No. 94 replaced Craig Dontas and the No. 45[7]
  3. ^ Richardson was promoted to the third position from fourth after Milburn was penalised a spot for losing his hood.
  4. ^ Milburn finished third in Townsville Race 3, but was penalised a spot for losing his hood and Richardson was promoted to the position from fourth.

References

  1. ^ O'Brien, Connor (12 January 2022). "Stadium Super Trucks fleet to be shipped back to US". Speedcafe. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  2. ^ Gover, Paul (5 February 2022). "Trucks still might fly". Auto Action. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b O'Brien, Connor (14 April 2021). "SST set for Morris father-son battle". Speedcafe. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Boost Mobile Super Trucks | 18 - 20 June" (PDF). Supercars Championship. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  5. ^ "NTI Townsville 500 Results | Friday: Super Trucks – Practice 1". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Perrins, Slade (17 April 2021). "Ingall answers SOS to make SST cameo". Speedcafe. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b O'Brien, Connor (19 June 2021). "Morris' contrasting double duties in Darwin". Speedcafe. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b Nguyen, Justin (25 November 2020). "SST confirmed for 2021 Darwin Triple Crown". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  9. ^ Fyles, Natasha (24 November 2020). "Full Speed Ahead for 2021 Darwin Supercars" (Press release). Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  10. ^ O'Brien, Connor (21 March 2021). "SST set for seven Supercars events in 2021". Speedcafe. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Beaurepaires Tasmania SuperSprint Schedule and Results". Supercars Championship. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b Pavey, James (30 July 2021). "Supercars unveils revised 2021 calendar". Supercars Championship. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Supercars statement regarding Gold Coast 500". Supercars Championship. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  14. ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew (24 September 2021). "Supercars confirms unprecedented Sydney quadruple header". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  15. ^ Bullis, Charlie (6 October 2021). "Schedule set for Bunnings Trade Sydney SuperNight". Supercars Championship. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  16. ^ Chapman, Simon (28 September 2021). "Supercars looking to create four unique events at SMP". Speedcafe. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  17. ^ a b Nguyen, Justin (1 December 2021). "SST set for ninth dance at Long Beach in 2022". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  18. ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew (30 March 2021). "Tasmania Supercars round postponed by a week". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  19. ^ Chapman, Simon (14 June 2020). "Off-road racer Casey eyes Stadium Super Truck debut". Speedcafe. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  20. ^ Nguyen, Justin (18 April 2021). "Shae Davies prevents Morris weekend sweep, wins Tassie SST Race 3". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  21. ^ Herrero, Daniel (19 June 2021). "Morris wins, Weel rolls in Darwin SST Race 1". Speedcafe. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  22. ^ Nguyen, Justin (20 June 2021). "Shae Davies nabs SST Darwin Race 3 win from Nash Morris". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  23. ^ O'Brien, Connor (7 July 2021). "Price to join SST field in Townsville". Speedcafe. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  24. ^ Nguyen, Justin (10 July 2021). "Toby Price scores maiden SST win in Townsville Race 1". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  25. ^ Nguyen, Justin (11 July 2021). "Paul Weel steals SST Townsville Race 3 victory in final turn". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  26. ^ "Rules". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Beaurepaires Tasmania SuperSprint Results | Saturday: Super Trucks – Race 1". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  28. ^ "Beaurepaires Tasmania SuperSprint Results | Sunday: Super Trucks – Race 2". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  29. ^ "Beaurepaires Tasmania SuperSprint Results | Sunday: Super Trucks – Race 3". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  30. ^ "Merlin Darwin Triple Crown Results | Saturday: Super Trucks – Race 1". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  31. ^ "Merlin Darwin Triple Crown Results | Sunday: Super Trucks – Race 2". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  32. ^ "Merlin Darwin Triple Crown Results | Sunday: Super Trucks – Race 3". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  33. ^ "NTI Townsville 500 Results | Saturday: Super Trucks – Race 1". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  34. ^ "NTI Townsville 500 Results | Saturday: Super Trucks – Race 2". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  35. ^ "NTI Townsville 500 Results | Sunday: Super Trucks – Race 3". Supercars Championship. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  36. ^ "2021 Beaurepaires Tasmania SuperSprint – Symmons Plains International Raceway | 2021 Australian Stadium Super Trucks Series - Race 3 | Meeting Points Report". Natsoft Race Results. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  37. ^ "2021 Merlin Darwin Triple Crown – HiddenValley Raceway | 2021 Australian Stadium Super Trucks Series - Race 3 | Meeting Points Report". Natsoft Race Results. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  38. ^ Nguyen, Justin (11 July 2021). "Paul Weel steals SST Townsville Race 3 victory in final turn". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 13 July 2021.