Mostert wins for Walkinshaw TWG Racing

Toyota and Walkinshaw TWG Racing have taken an impressive 1-3 result in the first of Supercars’ endurance races at The Bend in South Australia.

Chaz Mostert led home Ryan Wood in the black GR Supras, answering a number of questions about the reliability of the cars’ engine packages in the 500km race, run for the first time on the shorter, 3.4km West circuit.

The pair looked to be on the way to a sweep until a late-race charge from the Grove Racing Ford Mustang of Kai Allen, who split the pair late on to take second place with co-driver Tim Slade.

All three cars and their lead drivers were superbly backed up by their co-drivers, Fabian Coulthard and Jaxson Evans showing their New Zealand wet-weather credentials to give WTWG two spots on the podium.

“The 500 has been kicking me for years and years, I have come so close so many times,” said Mostert, who started from 11th on the grid and who won by 18.48s. “Wet weather specialist here [Coulthard], I was asking the team to just put me in at the end! The way he drove was just unbelievable!”

Coulthard, who took his last Supercars win at the same circuit six years ago, said that the conditions were not good.

“It was actually fine, but the surface was shiny,” he said. “Probably the wildest conditions I have ever driven in, in the race. I had a little bit to do with trying to get this programme on board, this is very satisfying.”

In second place Allen was well supported by Slade. From sixth on the grid, once he emerged from the first few corners with the lead the veteran streaked away from the field, at one stage building a lead of more than 15 seconds. The car dropped back after aquaplaning on the main straight in sixth gear, before the pair battled back.

“He made my race pretty easy,” said Allen, who is now locked into the Finals, of co-driver Slade. “He drove it up the road and I was pretty angry when the safety car came out. I knew the car, but I couldn’t catch old mate next to me.”

Slade had some radio issues in his stint but said he was “I was pretty happy to jump out”. 

“When it wasn’t that wet it was actually pretty good to drive,” he added. “I had some moments even under the safety car. The team has been amazing to work with.”

Wood praised his co-driver Evans highly. “I can’t believe the drive this guy did today, he drove 80-something laps and he put us in this position,” he said. “I knew I had to drive some pretty wicked laps, they told me I was the quickest car. I couldn’t believe it.

Evans was delighted with his maiden Supercar podium. “I don’t know what was going through my mind,” he said. “It was pretty trying. When the main drivers were getting in and they told me I was going to stay out, I was pretty nervous. I tightened the belts and just kept swinging!”

Fourth on the road went to the other Grove entry of Matt Payne/Will Davison. Davison was turned around in the first corner and dropped to the rear but stormed back in the rain, Payne moving up late in the race. But he clashed with the PremiAir Racing Chevrolet Camaro of Jayden Ojeda and the subsequent five-second penalty dropped Payne and Davison two places to sixth.

Into that fourth place stepped Will Brown/Scott Pye for Triple Eight. Pye suffered contact early in the race and had to pit with a flat tyre and during his recovery drive, he had another clash and earned a 15 second penalty. Later Brown got one as well for a pitlane infringement, so he ended up waiting 30 seconds before he resumed the chase.

Close behind came the best of the Chevrolets. The GM Racing teams had a busy weekend, with a controversial parity adjustment applied literally on the eve of the event, with Ojeda/David Russell having a good second half.

The race started in very wet conditions with almost all of the teams choosing to start their co-drivers, in spite of the slippery conditions. At the start Todd Hazelwood (Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustang) went backwards from pole position, after strong work in qualifying from Brodie Kostecki, who started the race as the fifth driver to be seeded into Supercars Finals system.

A series of incidents saw the safety car and penalties have a dramatic impact on the order. Through the dramas drove Richie Stanaway, now co-driver to James Golding in the Blanchard Racing Team Ford. In spite of doing no driving since his Bathurst 1000 appearance a year ago, Stanaway’s renowned wet-weather prowess saw him drive from the ninth row to second on the road, before he pitted to hand over to Golding.

By the end of the race the BRT car was seventh, but was in danger of losing the position as stewards considered whether Golding had breached the minimum laps rules in a race shortened by six laps due to time constraints.

The race was a disaster for the other Triple Eight Ford. Nick Percat was spun to the rear of the field on lap two, and later suffered suspension damage in a second incident. By the time Broc Feeney climbed aboard he was the last of the runners, and pressed on to finish

As a result of Feeney’s perils he loses the lead in the championship, which is now led by Payne on 2275 points, from Feeney and Allen. The teams will return to action for the premier race of the Supercars season, the Bathurst 1000, on 8-11 October.

Results from Supercars at The Bend

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