Supercars 2024: Chaz Mostert penalty gifts win to Ford rival
Cameron Waters has claimed his first win of the Supercars season after a five second penalty robbed rival Chaz Mostert of victory while, the Supercars 2 race was put to an early end following a huge crash.
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Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters still has belief he’s in the hunt for this year’s Supercars championship after claiming his first race win of the season in Perth.
The Ford Mustang driver won race 10 on Sunday, taking advantage of a penalty to Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert, to win by 2.5 seconds.
While he didn’t cross the finish line in first, he got the win after Mostert got a five second penalty for an unsafe release following his pit stop.
Mostert was released as Tickford’s Tom Randle drove alongside him after he completed his stop.
The failure to merge properly forced stewards to impose the penalty.
The win propels Waters from 15th at the start of the round to fourth in the championship standings after a 3rd and 1st in the two races in Perth.
It’s a decent recovery after finishing 22nd and 16th in Bathurst and having a retirement in Melbourne at the Australian Grand Prix.
He is now 381 points behind championship leader, Triple Eight’s Will Brown, with eight rounds to go.
“We’re hanging on by my fingernails,” Waters said.
“This weekend was all about getting car speed and putting the bad luck behind us.
“Yesterday was great getting the podium and really just built on that overnight and brought a faster car to the track today.
“For Tickford it is all about just getting faster and being more consistent week in, week out, and we just got to do a lot of winning now.”
Mostert finished second ahead of Triple Eight’s Will Brown and admitted he was at fault in the pit stop.
“The radio call was merge, merge, merge, but I swear I was clear just from my perception, but I hesitated a little bit and then I still committed to it,” he said.
“It was a little mistake on my part, so I’ll take that one and no doubt we’ll regroup and come back.
“We had a super fast car, so it’s nice to have pace and feel like you can win.
“I would have loved to have won today but it wasn’t meant to be.”
For Brown he also had a penalty to overcome during the race.
He also was involved in an incident with Randle, making contact with the Tickford driver coming out of the final turn with a few laps to go, fighting for the podium.
But Brown maintained his podium place, despite gaining a five second penalty, finishing one second ahead of Dick Johnson Racing’s Will Davison who finished fourth.
While he didn’t agree with the penalty, Brown said he was happy it didn’t cost him a spot.
“The penalty was what it was,” he said.
“It was a good battle.
“I hit the brakes because I thought he was coming across and I locked the front trying to back out of what was happening with that and we ended up tangling.
“But I was as far left as I could go, so it is what it is.”
Randle was able to recover for fifth with Dick Johnson Racing’s Anton De Pasquale rounding out the top six.
It was another race to forget for Erebus with Brodie Kostecki forced to retire with an engine issue in his car.
It ruined what could have been a great result with the reigning champion fighting inside the top five in the early stages of the race.
It was Kostecki’s most competitive hitout since returning to the sport.
Meanwhile, his teammate, Jack Le Brocq, finished 23rd, a lap behind the field after being spun around by Matt Stone Racing’s Nick Percat at turn six in the first few laps.
Triple Eight’s Will Brown extended his championship lead after the race, leading by 136 points over teammate Broc Feeney with Mostert in third, 175 points behind.
The teams will now have a four week break before the next round in Darwin on June 15 and 16.
Top 10 race - 1. Cameron Waters (Tickford), Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti Untied), 3. Will Brown (Triple Eight), 4. Will Davison (Dick Johnson Racing), Tom Randle (Tickford), Anton De Pasquale (Dick Johnson Racing), Broc Feeney (Triple Eight), Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw Andretti United), Matt Payne (Grove Racing), David Reynolds (Team 18).
Top 10 championship - 1. Will Brown - 1081, 2. Broc Feeney - 945, 3. Chaz Mostert - 906, 4. Cameron Waters - 700, 5. Matt Payne - 690, 6. Nick Percat - 648, 7. Will Davison - 645, 8. Anton De Pasquale - 622, 9. Richie Stanaway - 622, 10. Tom Randle - 622.
Huge crash puts an end to Supercars 2 race
Dunlop Super 2 driver Cameron McLeod has walked away from an incredible crash during the final few minutes of the Sunday afternoon’s race in the category.
The RM Racing Cars/PremiAir Racing driver was racing Eggleston Motorsport’s Cooper Murray for position coming out of turn six at Perth’s Wanneroo Raceway before contact was made with each other.
McLeod tried to defend Murray from overtaking him on the inside, down the straight, heading into the last corner, but he was spun around as the racing room minimised.
As he spun the car went off the track, causing the Supercar to flip twice, before the car landed, in the right way, on the circuit.
There were moments of panic and concern from the field and McLeod’s team as the driver remained in the car.
But the 19-year-old was able to walk out of the car by himself and be attended to by medical staff.
He was taken to the medical centre and is currently reporting no pain but is undergoing an observation.
McLeod should make a full recovery but his car will need to be rebuilt ahead of the next round of the series, which will be held in Townsville.
The teenager has a pedigree in motorsport with his father, Ryan, not only a racer but his grandfather, Peter, won the 1987 Bathurst 1000 with Peter Brock.
Canberra driver and Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Zach Bates won the race with McLeod ending up in third and on the podium despite the crash.
Results for the race were backdated to the previous lap as the red flag ended the race.
Cameron Waters with chance of first season win in Perth
Cameron Waters will be hoping third time’s the charm to his first race win this year after taking pole for race 10 of the Supercars Championship in Perth.
The Tickford Racing driver claimed top spot by just 0.03 seconds, setting a time of 54.5545 seconds, to beat Saturday’s winner, Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert.
Triple Eight and championship leader Will Brown was third.
Waters set the time with his final flying lap of the session.
He then had to wait about a minute while Mostert tried to beat the time.
The Ford Mustang driver got close, leading over Waters in the first two sectors of his lap, before falling just short.
Waters will now be hoping to avoid what happened the past two times he had pole this year.
At the Australian Grand Prix, in race five, he was involved in a crash with Grove Racing’s Matt Payne into the final turn before also falling victim to an incident with PremiAir Racing’s Tim Slade at Taupo, in race seven, when he claimed pole.
“It was so tight between the top four cars,” Waters said.
“The boys and girls at Tickford did an amazing job overnight and found me car speed, so hopefully that translates into a result.
“To get a win would be unreal and we’ve had a challenging start to the year, so getting some points on the board and a win would be amazing.”
Rounding out the top five in the session was WAU’s Ryan Wood and Tickford Racing’s Tom Randle.
But Wood will start the race in seventh after getting a three grid penalty for impeding Mark Winterbottom during the first part of qualifying.
He went off at turn one, going into the sand, and forced Winterbottom to slow into turns two and three as Wood came back out on the track, while the Team 18 driver was on a fast lap.
Winterbottom ended the session in 23rd.
Wood will start behind Randle (4th), Erebus’ Brodie Kostecki (5th) and Dick Johnson Racing’s Will Davison (6th).
It was also a frustrating session for Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney who qualified 12th and missed the final part of qualifying.
It will be a tough afternoon for the second placed driver in the standings.
Fellow drivers in the top five of the championships, Nick Percat and Matt Payne, will also start well back with the Matt Stone Racing driver and Grove Racing driver to start the race in 18th and 16th respectively.
The race will start at 5.45pm for the eastern states and 3.45pm Perth time.
‘A WHOLE NEW LEVEL’: SECRET BEHIND MOSTERT’S BREAKTHROUGH SUCCESS
Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert has revealed his new engineer and new teammate Ryan Wood have helped raise his racing to a new level and break his win drought.
Mostert claimed race nine of the Supercars Championship in Perth in dominant fashion beating championship leader, Triple Eight’s Will Brown who finished second, by almost five seconds.
The WAU driver, starting on pole, was beaten at the start by teammate Wood before he claimed the lead back on lap 14.
Mostert then led for the rest of the race, only relinquishing the lead in the pits, to claim his first win in a year and a half.
It was his first race win since claiming the first race at the Adelaide 500 in 2022.
He is now a race-winner in the new Gen-3 era, securing his first ever win as well in a Ford Mustang.
In the off-season, Mostert changed engineer, ending his decade long relationship with Adam De Borre, with Sam Scaffidi joining the team.
The win was Scaffidi’s first in the category as an engineer.
“He’s (Scaffidi) pushing me to a whole new level,” Mostert revealed.
“Looking back into my driving, Adam (De Borre) and I were together for so long we believed in each other so long.
“Particularly Adam to me about my driving.
“Now if Sam sees something in the data that I can do better he isn’t scared to tell me.
“I’m really enjoying that partnership and it’s good to see him get his first win.”
Mostert added Wood has been a revelation since he came to the team this year.
The rookie finished fourth in the race, his best finish for the year, and missed a podium after being overtaken on the final lap by fast-finishing Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters.
“What he’s doing in his first year in Supercars, you’ve got to be impressed with it,” Mostert said.
“He shows how adaptable he is.
“This weekend and some other rounds this year there’s been parts of his data which have had to tune me up.
“It’s nice to have a young guy (with new ideas).”
Wood also helped Mostert hold out a charging Brown.
The championship leader opted to take four tyres in his pit stop with Mostert and Wood taking two.
It shortened the time in pitlane for the WAU duo but gave Brown better tyre life in the final few laps.
Brown closed the gap to 3.6 seconds to the leader with 16 laps to go before he was held up by Wood for one and a half laps.
The time lost, 1.5 seconds, was enough for Mostert to hold on over the remaining 14 laps of the race.
But the Triple Eight driver conceded he didn’t have the pace to match Mostert.
“I think Chaz was super-fast in the race,” Brown said.
“I don’t think we had it on them today.”
The decision by some to put four tyres on surprised Mostert.
He conceded it didn’t impact his race but the team will consider the strategy for Sunday’s final race of the weekend.
“We were quite surprised by the amount of guys who did four,” he said.
“I think we still had the right outcome, if a safety car come it might have been a different story.
“We had a fast car today and we were able to drive it quite well and look after the tyres better.
“We’ll have a look into it (four tyres) tomorrow for sure.”
Race 10 of the championship will be on Sunday at 3.45pm Perth time with drivers to have a practice and qualifying session to determine the grid.
MOSTERT BREAKS THROUGH
It’s been a long time between drinks for Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert but the Ford Mustang driver is back on top after winning race nine of the Supercars Championship in Perth.
Mostert ended a year and a half wait in dominant fashion, overcoming an early challenge from his teammate, Ryan Wood, before his New Zealand rookie helped him to victory, claiming the drought-breaking win by almost five seconds over Triple Eight’s Will Brown.
It was his first win since winning the first race in Adelaide in 2022 and his first in a Mustang in the Gen-3 era.
And it was a special one for him and the team.
Mostert dedicated the win to his co-driver Lee Holdsworth and his family after his father Glen lost his life during the week.
“I’ve wanted this one for some time,” Mostert said.
“It’s very special to do it in Perth.
“This one is a big one for Glen Holdsworth and the whole Holdsworth family.
“Lee has given everything to this sport, Glen has given everything to the sport, it’s really sad.
“I love the Holdsworth family, this one is for you Glen.”
Starting from pole, Mostert was unable to beat his teammate at the start as Wood led into turn one.
The New Zealand rookie was the leader for the first 14 laps of the race, extending the margin at one stage to almost a second, before Mostert responded.
He overtook his teammate cleanly, heading into the final turn and then was able to gap the field before the first and only round of pit stops.
Mostert and Wood took the risk to only change two tyres in their pit stop but it paid dividends for Car 25 despite a late challenge from Triple Eight’s Will Brown.
Brown, who moved to fourth during the first part of the race, pitted and changed all four tyres.
His new rubber allowed him to move to third before he was charging down the two Walkinshaw Andretti United cars.
He closed the margin to 3.6 seconds over Mostert before battling Wood for second spot with 16 laps to go.
The battle, which Brown succeeded, cost him 1.5 seconds to the race leader, which helped Mostert get away.
Wood’s defence over the lap helped his teammate to win.
“Ryan was pretty kind to me in the end (at the start),” he said.
“As he progresses I don’t think he’ll be so kind.
“He did a mega job today.”
It was another impressive race for the rookie with the New Zealander finishing fourth for the second time this season.
He fell short of a podium on the final lap with Waters overtaking him with two corners to go to claim third.
Waters and Wood finished ahead of Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney who rounded out the top five.
Others to impress included James Courtney who secured Blanchard Racing’s first top-six finish for the season and Nick Percat who fought from 13th on the grid to finish 7th for Matt Stone Racing.
For Erebus it was another forgettable day.
Jack Le Brocq didn’t start the race on the grid after battery issues prevented him from starting the warm up lap.
He ended up starting from pit lane and finished in 20th.
His teammate Brodie Kostecki got taken out in turn one and ended up in 22nd.
There was also a crash early on for Grove Racing’s Richie Stanaway who had gear issues coming out of the final turn and was collected by Blanchard Racing’s Aaron Love.
He made contact with the wall, which forced him to pit lane to fix up the damage, and finish dead last in 24th.
Drivers will now prepare for another 55-lap race on Sunday with qualifying to be held in the afternoon to set up the grid.
MOSTERT, WOOD CLINCH TOP SPOTS
Walkinshaw Andretti United has secured its first front row lockout in years after Chaz Mostert won pole position for race nine of the Supercars Championship in Perth.
Mostert took pole position with a time of 54.5628 after a frantic session which saw drivers eliminated in three segments of qualifying.
He’ll be joined on the front row by young rookie and New Zealand teammate Ryan Wood who had his best qualifying session in his short career.
Wood had a chance late to secure pole, with his last run, but missed out by a tenth to his teammate.
It’s the teams first front row lockout for a Supercars race since 2014 when the team was the Holden Racing Team.
Rounding out the top five was Tickford’s Cameron Waters with Triple Eight duo Will Brown and Broc Feeney in fourth and fifth.
It was an impressive session for others as well with Cameron Hill (Matt Stone Racing) finishing seventh after a big crash on Friday at turns two and three.
The team took until 1am on Saturday morning to fix his car.
Tim Slade, for PremiAir Racing, in his 200th round finished 10th with James Courtney securing Blanchard Racing’s first top-ten finish for the year in qualifying with seventh.
But the moment belonged to Mostert, who secured his second pole of the season and his 26th of his career.
“The car has been pretty good since we hit the track this weekend,” he said.
“We didn’t quite do the best job in Q1 or Q2, still learning our sequence to maximise here.
“The last one I think we nailed it, we got the car right in the window, we did one last little tweak.
“I’m pumped for the whole team, to have Woody (Ryan Wood) on P2 as well, it really rewards the guys and girls who have worked hard at WAU.”
While WAU were the best in the session, it was a tough one for Erebus with last year’s champion Brodie Kostecki qualifying 14th and Jack Le Brocq finishing in 19th.
Dick Johnson Racing, after doing well in the last round in Taupo, also missed the top-ten with Anton De Pasquale 16th and Will Davison 12th.
The race, which is 55 laps, starts at 3.45pm Perth time and 5.45pm for the eastern states.
Mostert’s faith repaid after fastest in Perth practice
Walkinshaw Andretti United says now is the time to convert their pace into race wins after Chaz Mostert finished Friday on top for the Perth SuperSprint.
For the second Friday in succession, Mostert was the fastest driver in practice, setting a time of 55.0930 seconds to be quickest ahead of Matt Stone Racing’s Nick Percat and Team Blanchard Racing’s James Courtney.
The Ford Mustang driver was also fastest at the last round in Taupo, setting the best time in the only practice session in New Zealand.
At Wanneroo Raceway, Mostert set the time in the first four minutes of the session, and was never threatened as other drivers tried but couldn’t match the time.
While the 32-year-old has been quick in practice and qualifying, he’s yet to translate it to a win in the Gen-3 era, with his last win coming in Darwin in 2022.
He got close last round in Taupo, fighting Brad Jones Racing’s Andre Heimgartner for large parts of race one in the wet, before a pit stop issue ruined his race.
WAU team principal Bruce Stewart said now was the time to shine for the team.
“The real focus for us is converting now,” he said.
“You’ve got super pro teams all around pitlane who are doing their best to knock you over.
“For us the real focus is playing our role and seeing what we can do.
“You certainly hope that (we can win) and everyone here comes here to win.”
Mostert said the early pace came after a valuable test session done between the New Zealand and Perth rounds.
He’s confident the car is much better after the day at Winton.
“We’ve implemented a lot coming into this weekend, how we came from the test session,” he said.
“Touch wood, I think we’ve got a better platform (to build on) than what we have from the first three rounds this year.
“The car felt pretty good out of the gate but we went pretty aggressive in the session and probably made it a lot better.
“We focused more on a race car towards the end of practice and I think our race car is pretty good.
“We’ll take today, go through the data and look to make it faster tomorrow (Saturday).”
The Friday practice wasn’t without drama with two red flags coming out.
The first was for Tickford Racing’s Tom Randle who brought it out in the first 10 minutes after a prop shaft failed in his Ford Mustang.
The team was able to fix up the car but it cost Randle 25 minutes.
Matt Stone Racing’s Cameron Hill ended the session when the final red flag came out for him after he crashed between turns two and three with under two minutes to go.
He hit the wall hard to cause significant damage to the left hand side of his Chevrolet Camaro.
Team owner Matt Stone said an issue with the car caused the incident and the team would spend Friday night getting the car fixed for Saturday.
“We think it was probably something in the front suspension that has failed,” he said.
“It’s got to the point where he’s wanting to turn and the car didn’t want to play ball.”
It was a mixed afternoon for the championship contenders with Broc Feeney finishing 6th in his Tripe Eight Camaro as his teammate, Supercars title leader, Will Brown, finished down in 18th.
But Brown isn’t worried heading into Saturday.
“We didn’t roll out as strong as we would’ve liked, but we went out on our green run and with the red flag we only got through turn one,” he revealed.
“It’s hard to read exactly where you’re at but I still think we’re in the top five and fingers crossed we have a strong qualifying session tomorrow.
Last year’s champion, Erebus’ Brodie Kostecki, was seventh.
All teams will now prepare for one more practice session on Saturday morning before battling it out in qualifying ahead of a 55-lap race in the afternoon.
TOP 10: Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti United), Nick Percat (Matt Stone Racing), James Courtney (Blanchard Racing), Andre Heimgartner (Brad Jones Racing), Jack Le Brocq (Erebus), Broc Feeney (Triple Eight), Brodie Kostecki (Erebus), Will Davison (Dick Johnson Racing), Cameron Hill (Matt Stone Racing), Tim Slade (PremiAir Racing)
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