Ford star vows to turn up the heat on his Triple Eight title rivals after first Gen3 victory in Perth

Chaz Mostert has his first Gen3 win and wants to amp up the pressure on his rivals. He tells REBECCA WILLIAMS what it would mean to achieve that Supercars title and how fatherhood has changed him.

Ford star Chaz Mostert has vowed to turn up the pressure on his Camaro championship rivals and “give them a rattle” as he steps up his hunt for a maiden Supercars title following his breakthrough Gen3 win in the previous round.

On a high after securing his first victory in a Ford Mustang for Walkinshaw Andretti United last month in Perth as he revels in life as a new dad, Mostert hopes to tighten the screws on the frontrunning Triple Eight pair of Will Brown and Broc Feeney in Darwin this weekend.

Mostert, who secured his first win since Adelaide in 2022 with his Saturday win in Perth, is the best-placed Ford driver in the championship battle in third position.

The two-time Bathurst 1000 winner trails series leader Brown by 175 points, while his team WAU has also jumped to second in the teams’ championship behind Triple Eight.

Mostert is now hoping to build on his Perth success at the Darwin Triple Crown to turn up the heat on his Red Bull rivals.

“The guys at the front in the first couple of rounds were either winning or coming first or second every race, so it’s going to be a hard task because they are a couple of young drivers who are really on top of their game,” Mostert said.

“But I like to think I can get in there and give them a rattle and push them along.

Chaz Mostert on the podium after his first Gen3 win in Perth. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

“For us as a team, too, it’s pretty cool we’re second in the teams’ championship.

“It’s something that we’ve been trying to grind away at this year and trying to create a bit more consistency.

“So if we can put the pressure on, we’ll go after them and see if we can start eating into a bit of that margin.

“The car felt great at the last round. It’s nice to have the quickest car out there and then actually convert it into the result.

“I’d like to think if we can keep that up and keep feeling the way I do in the car ... hopefully we can give them a good push.”

While Mostert’s first Gen3 victory and the team’s first Ford win had been a long time coming, the popular Mustang star has been in the fight this season with five podium places.

Mostert has finished third in the championship twice in 2021 and 2022 with WAU but Ford’s turnaround in form this year could present him with his best chance to attack the crown.

“The year for us has probably been a big turnaround from where we were last year, which we are pretty positive about,” Mostert said.

Chaz Mostert sits third in the Supercars’ championship standings. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

“There were probably a couple of occasions this year where the win probably eluded us, just being too tight on margin or a couple of little mistakes along the way.

“But the speed has been a big turnaround for us from last year to this year, so I’m really positive about this year.

“There is still a long way to go but it’s nice to, like at the last round, finally be able to get the win off the back in Gen3, first time for WAU in the Ford colours as well.

“The team feels really relieved about that but we want to try and keep that momentum going now.”

Having already conquered the sport’s biggest race of the year twice, Mostert said he was determined to add a Supercars title to his resume.

“It is the one that has eluded me for some time,” Mostert said.

“It’s what we’re all in the championship for. It’s what keeps us coming back every year trying to win it.

“Some really lucky guys have been able to achieve it a few times and they have gone on to bigger and better things.

“But Supercars is always the dream to try and win a title here and we’ll just see how we go.

“I’m really short-goal focused rather than long-term for the year, so the main focus is on the next round and the next session and making sure we just keep building on that.

“But if the car is anything like what it was in Perth in Darwin then I would like to think that we have a shot for another win there.”

Chaz Mostert has his sights set on a Supercars title. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

On the home front, Mostert is relishing the early days of fatherhood after the recent arrival of his baby daughter, which he said had made his life feel “full”.

Mostert and his partner Riarne Marwood welcomed baby Everly in late March after the couple’s heartbreak last year.

Marwood said last May the pair’s first child, Hazel, had been stillborn at 22 weeks after a routine scan uncovered an issue with the baby’s heart.

“I don’t think much has really changed from what I want to try and achieve on track but the other parts of my life feel more full and a lot of joy around it too, so maybe it does reflect a little bit back into the work space,” Mostert said.

“I think becoming a parent changes you as a person. I was 32, feeling like I was 22 and I have had to put my 30-year-old hat back on.

“You can have a bad day at work or a bad practice session and I think when you have a really awesome family behind you, they can really pull you out of those dumps real quick and get your focus back on.

“I’m very lucky I’ve got an awesome support network with Ri and now little Everly as well.

“I think they keep me motivated just because there is so much positivity going on in my life.”

Originally published as Ford star vows to turn up the heat on his Triple Eight title rivals after first Gen3 victory in Perth