Supercars 2022: Chaz Mostert takes championship lead after winning at Sydney SuperNight
In conditions as wild as his light blue locks, Chaz Mostert sent out a title warning to defending champion Shane van Gisbergen with an impressive victory at the Sydney SuperNight weekend.
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Chaz Mostert officially became a championship contender when he proved his Bathurst 1000 triumph was no fluke by conquering Sydney in a blitzing season start.
Having played down his championship chance in the lead up to the Sydney SuperNight, the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver will not be able to deny that he is now a heavyweight after downing the big guns on a wet weekend of racing at Sydney Motorsport Park.
In conditions as wild as his hair, which was bright blue, Mostert powered his way home in a rainstorm to steal both the win and the championship lead.
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“I know it is only round one but I have never led the championship,” Mostert said.
“It was a pretty good feeling to bring the car into the pitlane and see the orange (championship leader) number on the board. It is just cool to tick that box off the list.”
Putting his famous team back on the championship map, Mostert bagged 279 points over the weekend to edge out Anton De Pasquale for the series lead.
“What a weekend for us,” Mostert said.
“I didn’t really expect that after coming here last year. I think the weather helped but I am just super stoked for the whole team.”
Mostert finished in the wet ahead of Brodie Kostecki, who showed he is in for a big year after backing up his top ten shoot-out with a podium.
THE CHAMPION
Shane van Gisbergen pulled off a minor miracle to save himself from a Sunday shocker in Sydney.
Less than 24 hours after beginning his championship defence with a stunning 19-second win that left the field fearing another one-way title fight, van Gisbergen’s back-to-back bid looked certain to take a knock when he went a lap down after a series of slips.
Beginning with a qualifying fail, the Red Bull racer speared off the track and ended up being lapped after a controversial call to go to wet weather tyres forced him to make an additional two stops.
But in a stunning comeback that was maybe even more impressive than his race one win, van Gisbergen charged his way back through the field to finish 6th after unlapping himself.
THE CONTENDER
Anton De Pasquale showed enough to suggest he will seriously challenge Shane van Gibsergen for this year’s crown.
While his one lap speed has never been questioned, De Pasquale squandered points last season by making several costly errors.
With only Brodie Kostecki stopping him from winning both top-ten shootouts, De Pasquale again showed he can get the most out of the DJR Mustang.
But more importantly he not only survived the 600km journey around Sydney Motorsport but landed a podium.
“It was a fun race,” De Pasquale said.
“And a bit hectic so it was good to get a result. It was wild when the weather came in so it was good to get it home.”
THE NEXT WHINCUP
Red Bull Racing Australia’s decision to replace V8 immortal Jamie Whincup with a rookie was all but validated over the weekend with Broc Feeney confirming himself as a future star.
In a memorable debut, especially considering the pressure that came with taking over from Whincup, Feeney would have finished with two top ten finishes had it not been for bad luck.
Battling the big guns in the most trying conditions, Feeney showed maturity beyond his years in his first full weekend in a Supercar.
While nobody is expecting him to become a championship contender in his first year, Feeney showed enough speed and race smarts to suggest that he might prove them wrong.
Supercars king’s scary start to title defence
Shane Van Gisbergen began his quest for back-to-back Supercars by mowing down the field to prove that he will once again be the man to beat.
In an ominous show of might from the freshly crowned king, the Red Bull Racing Team top-gun won the season-opening Sydney SuperNight by a stunning 19 seconds after fighting his way back from third.
Van Gisbergen was more than eight seconds off the lead when he took his pit stop with 13 laps to go.
But it took Holden just three laps to mow down the margin and pass both Anton de Pasquale and Will Brown to claim the lead.
The driver they call the Giz then showed off with a display of speed that threatens to make this year’s championship a one-sided fight.
“No one new what was happening in the middle of the race, but I was happy to come through,” van Gisbergen said.
“It was a great night. It was awesome to get the result because we have had some big changes over the off-season but the team felt the same. But it is a long year so we won’t be getting ahead of ourselves.”
Van Gisbergen’s new teammate also had a night to remember.
Replacing Jamie Whincup at Red Bull Racing, Broc Feeney confirmed his talent by putting himself alongside the big names for an all-eyes-on-him one lap blast.
Going out first after qualifying 10th fastest, Feeney kept it clean to show his pose under pressure.
“That was a pretty cool moment,” Feeney said.
“I had the track to myself and that was pretty cool. I don’t think the lap was fantastic, but I tried to have a dip.”
While his time may have been almost a second slower than that set by De Pasquale to score pole, Feeney overachieved simply by putting himself in the top-ten.
“It wasn’t the flashiest time but I am happy with P10,” Feeney said.
“It has been hard coming in and being the first time I have driven the ZB. I am learning all the time and we are changing the car all the time.”
Feeney went on to score a top ten finish in his first race.
While he could not hold off van Gisbergen in the race, De Pasquale scorched his way to pole by edging out Shane van Gisbergen with a time of 1:29.35.
“It is always a good way to start the first race of the year,” De Pasquale said.
“We started off the year strong so that is good. The track is a lot different to what we are used to, so we just rolled out and gave it our best. Thankfully the guys did a great job.”
Going head-to-head with van Gisbergen in a mouth-watering front row, De Pasquale backed up the shootout win by beating his Red Bull rival to turn one.
But both were forced to succumb to Andre Heimgartner, who blasted his way through the field to steal the lead after starting the race on the super soft compound tyre.
In a continuation of the bad luck he suffered last season, Scott Pye suffered the first DNF of the season when his car was struck down by a steering failure.
“It is frustrating,” Pye said.
“We had really good speed and then a hose just blew. It took out the power steering. I feel so bad for the team because we are being struck down by all these mechanical problems.”
Chaz Mostert snatched a podium when he passed Will Brown to steal third.
MAGIC MOSTERT MASTERS WET, WILD SUPERCARS START
They slipped, slid and even got stuck in the mud before Chaz Mostert emerged as the man to beat at a rain-soaked Sydney Motorsport Park.
In a wet and wild start to the Supercars season, Mostert ploughed his way through standing rivers and puddles to back up his Bathurst win with a practice day win.
With Anton De Pasquale and Jack Smith both getting stuck in the mud during a trying final session, Mostert edged out Cameron Waters to land the first blow.
The Walkinshaw Andretti United driver played down his championship chance after beating reigning champion Shane van Gisbergen in a first day fight.
“I can’t look too far ahead in the year,” Mostert said.
“All I can do is take it session by session. Overall today wasn’t the greatest conditions to start the year. There were so many wet patches and streams that it was a case of risk versus reward. It wasn’t quite worth going to hard for practice. Overall the car felt pretty good and if the track grip improves the car will come to us. We still have some things to work on but we will see what the weather does over the rest of the weekend.”
Before spearing off in a red flag causing incident in the second sessions, De Pasquale blasted his way out of the blocks to top the time sheets in the first official session of the year.
Beginning on a waterlogged track with wet tyres strapped to his Ford, the DJR Team Penske driver cut his chart-topping time with slick tyres on a drying track.
De Pasquale struck at the death with a time of 1.33.20 to edge out veteran Mark Winterbottom.
“It was wild out there in interchangeable conditions,” De Pasquale said.
“There were rivers and puddles and we were pushing hard on a slick tyre which produced some moments. It was an interesting and cool way to start the year but whether it means anything going forward, who knows. Either way we had a ball.”
Replacing retired immortal Jamie Whincup in the famous No. 88 car, Broc Feeney finished ahead of teammate Shane van Gisbergen in his first main game session.
“It big is pretty simple,” Feeney said. “I am just getting in the car where I am by myself and doing my thing. There has been a lot of talk since August but now the first session is done. For me there is no real big difference. I am with the same team, I have the same engineer and that makes it a lot easier for me.”
Now Triple Eight Race Engineering boss, Whincup was the first to greet Feeney following his first stint.
“We just had a general chat,” Feeney said.
“He was just making sure I was happy with everything. It is going to be good to have him in my corner this year.”
The first race of the season will get underway on Saturday night before a daytime encore on Sunday.
HOW SUPERCARS SUPREMO PLANS TO GET EVEN BETTER
– Rebecca Williams
He is coming off one of Supercars most dominant seasons, but Shane van Gisbergen has declared he can still find a higher gear as a driver in an ominous warning ahead of the start of his championship defence.
After blitzing the field to win his second V8 crown last year, van Gisbergen will start as a clear favourite to defend his Supercars’ championship in 2022.
The Triple Eight star dominated to win 14 races last year – nine more than the next best in the field, Dick Johnson Racing’s Anton De Pasquale.
Van Gisbergen finished 211 points ahead of his second-placed teammate – now his Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup – in the championship standings.
Despite the dominance of his 2021 campaign, which included the first six wins of the year, the New Zealand ace is confident he can still find plenty of improvement behind the wheel.
“I’m always trying to keep learning and keep evolving,” van Gisbergen said.
“I think there is always a way to get better at certain tracks, certain styles of driving, certain conditions and all the off-track stuff with setups and preparation.
“I’m always trying to get better. I still feel like I am getting quicker each year, or getting more experienced each year in all those areas.
“I’m certainly nowhere near perfect. Everyone can always be better. I’m just trying to get there.”
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Van Gisbergen’s championship crown added to his maiden title win in 2016 and came after his breakthrough Bathurst 1000 victory in 2020.
The Red Bull ace’s domination was all the more impressive after he suffered a broken collarbone and broken ribs two weeks before the second round at Sandown following a mountain biking accident.
Van Gisbergen, 32, defied the pain to secure a clean sweep of the three Sandown races.
While van Gisbergen will be the driver with the target on his back, he said he did not feel any extra pressure as he prepared to start his title defence at Sydney Motorsport Park.
“Everyone starts from zero points so everyone has got the opportunity to have a go at it. I don’t feel any different to anyone else really,” van Gisbergen said.
“I feel like everyone is going to be having a go and not thinking about one particular person, they will be trying to beat everyone else.
“There are maybe six to eight guys on their day who could be winning races and win the championship. We will just see who turns up and who makes the least mistakes throughout the year.”
It will be a different dynamic in the Triple Eight garage this year with van Gisbergen starting 2022 with a new teammate alongside him.
Rookie Broc Feeney, 19, will step in to fill V8 great Whincup’s seat after his retirement from full-time driving, while the seven-time champion takes the reins as team boss.
Van Gisbergen predicted Feeney would be on the pace straight away.
“He is an extremely talented young kid and he is arriving in the best team with the best car so it is going to be a huge year for him and I am interested to see how he is going to go,” van Gisbergen said.
“As a teammate, he is a great young kid and he seems like he is a very old 19-year-old. He has done a lot of racing already for his age and seen a lot of things.
“I think he is going to be an asset to our team but for sure it is going to be interesting to see how the other drivers react to having a rookie running up near the front.
“That’s why they hired him … if you are driving for the Red Bull team you are expected to be good enough.
“We know he is so he should be up the front somewhere.”
Van Gisbergen said he had allowed himself to savour his second title win more than his first but had missed sharing the victory with his family in New Zealand due to border restrictions.
“I certainly let this one soak in pretty good. The first one was sort of a blur, you get caught up in the excitement and everything,” van Gisbergen said.
“You certainly appreciate all the work that goes in and how much work the team puts in. It is no small feat to win a championship.
“I guess I just appreciated it a lot more and it’s such an awesome thing to be a part of and I feel like we accomplished something pretty awesome last year.”
Van Gisbergen hasn’t been home to NZ since after his Bathurst win in 2020 but hopes to get home mid-year for a reunion and some rally racing.
“I guess everyone is in contact within the touch of a button nowadays so I speak to them a lot but dad hasn’t been to a race since (Adelaide), 2020,” van Gisbergen said.
“So that’s a long time and he used to come to all the races, he loves the racing. He is missing his Supercars, that’s for sure.”
Van Gisbergen said there had been no lingering issues from his mountain-biking injuries last year but he has not been deterred from the off-track action.
“It’s on me if I crash, isn’t it? I love doing it and I get a rush out of doing that kind of stuff, my brain goes numb if I just sit around,” van Gisbergen said.
“I love that kind of thing and that bit of risk just makes you feel alive and it’s good training.”
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