Bathurst 1000: How Chaz Mostert’s Commodore became the fastest car in Bathurst history

Revealed: How Walkinshaw Andretti United snuck under the guards of the heavyweights to create a a field-flogging Bathurst 1000 beast.

BATHURST, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 05: (L-R) Ryan Walkinshaw Mobil1 Appliances Online Racing Holden and Chaz Mostert drives the #25 Mobil1 Appliances Online Racing Holden Commodore ZB celebrate after the Bathurst 1000 which is part of the 2021 Supercars Championship, at Mount Panorama, on December 05, 2021 in Bathurst, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

Walkinshaw Andretti United had spent the last six months secretly testing the race car components that turned Chaz Mostert’s Commodore into the fastest Supercar Bathurst has ever seen.

In global development program that created a lap record-smashing V8, WAU snuck under the guards of the heavyweights by rolling out a Holden that had been purpose built for Chaz Mostert’s Bathurst mission.

“We made a decision about six months ago to go all out for Bathurst,” team owner Ryan Walkinshaw said.

“We knew we could not win the championship so we decided to focus 100 per cent on winning Bathurst.

“And yes we sacrificed races along the way by testing parts that were only intended to be used at Bathurst. No one would have known, but we were using all those parts at events like the Sydney SuperSprint.

The Walkinshaw Andretti United team is hoping the stunning Bathurst triumph is only the beginning on continued success.

“You would have noticed at the back half of the year that there was a bit of up and down and that is because of the Bathurst development.”

The extraordinary step of using championship sprint races to test parts that were designed for an endurance race transformed Mostert’s podium contending championship car into a field-flogging Bathurst 1000 beast.

Rival teams could not explain the transformation of the WAU car or come up with a go-fast fix that would help them catch it.

Chaz Mostert powers his Holden Commodore ZB up mountain straight. Picture: Getty Images

Mostert and his pit crew celebrate their dominant triumph at Mount Panorama. Picture: Getty Images

Walkinshaw would not reveal any specific detail about the parts that turned Mostert’s Commodore into fastest one-lap car in Bathurst history, but he did admit that his global partners had a hand in producing the Mount Panorama conquering technology.

WAU is co-owned by US racing legend Michael Andretti and Formula One mastermind Zac Brown.

“Our partnerships and new structures have been paying off for the last couple of years,” Walkinshaw said.

Bathurst 1000 winners Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth with the Peter Brock Trophy. Picture: Getty Images

“One of the big objectives Michael, Zac and I had was to win Bathurst and they have all contributed. Most of the work that went into the car happened here in Australia but Andretti has the best engineer resources in the US and we certainly used them. It was a team effort.

“I would not even know how many hours went into it or what it cost and I am not going to tell anyone what we did. I am not going to give away any secrets.”

Responsible for turning WAU into a force now capable of returning the team formerly known has HRT into a V8 table topper, Walkinshaw already has his sight set on next year.

“Hopefully this is just that start of what is to come,” Walkinshaw said.

“We are working towards something much bigger than this.”