Chaz Mostert wins maiden Supercars title in Adelaide
Joanna Guelas |
Chaz Mostert has won the Supercars championship he thought would never come after rival Broc Feeney spun out on the opening lap of the competition’s first grand final.
Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) star Mostert finished second to race-winner Matt Payne in the final Adelaide race, but it was enough to net him the title in this year’s inaugural finals series.
He delivered Ford their first Supercars title since Scott McLaughlin’s triumph in 2020, ahead of WAU’s switch to Toyota next year.
Last season’s champion Will Brown finished third in the race, ahead of grand finalist Kai Allen in fourth.
Feeney was in tears as his career-best season of 14 race wins and a record 19 pole positions ended with a finish of 20th in Sunday’s 250km decider.
The 23-year-old Triple Eight driver had been leading the championship since round four.
Mostert snares his career-first crown on the 12th time of asking as a full-time driver.
He is the 28th driver to win Australia’s premier touring car category, which started in 1960.
The 33-year-old had only ever come as close as third on three occasions (2021, 2022, 2024).
It is also WAU’s first drivers’ title since Mark Skaife’s 2002 win, when the team was running as Holden Racing Team.
Mostert, who had won the Bathurst 1000 twice, admitted he once doubted he would ever win a championship.
“Every year, you always think that it’s never going to happen, especially when you start to get into the 30s,” Mostert said.
“It feels like exactly when you win Bathurst, you just feel so numb in excitement because you just can’t fathom it.
“You’re dreaming this when you’re a kid, you’re six, seven, in go-karts.”
The fan-favourite veteran had only one race win before roaring to life in the finals, sensationally sweeping the Gold Coast 500 and claiming the first Sandown 500 race to surge up the order to second.
In Adelaide, a relentless Mostert overcame every hurdle to remain a threat to Feeney.
After his car failed to start up in qualifying, the dual Bathurst 1000 winner had expertly carved through the grid from 12th to finish second in Saturday’s race.
Sunday evolved as a sucker punch for Feeney, who would have all but wrapped up the championship under the traditional points format.
His race was derailed just seconds into the opening lap.
Mostert’s teammate Ryan Wood had tagged the back of Feeney’s Chevrolet Camaro and sent the then-championship leader spinning at turn six.
The Triple Eight heavyweight dropped to 21st, having already lost top spot to fellow front-rower Payne from lights out.
Wood received a 15-second penalty, as Triple Eight team principal Jamie Whincup blasted the 21-year-old for the “pretty grubby” move.
Triple Eight took a strategy gamble and Feeney found himself back in top spot after opting to pit later than the rest of the field.
But disaster struck again when the crew struggled to replace the right-rear wheel of Feeney’s Camaro.
There was no reprieve for the Gold Coast local on the home run, with the engine of his Camaro misfiring from lap 36.
Feeney had overcome a similar engine issue to win Saturday’s race.
“No matter what happened today, the thing was going to break down today, unfortunately,” Feeney said through tears.
“That’s the way it goes. That’s the new system they’ve got.
“You can have a shocker in the last race of the year, and it all falls apart.”
Wood finished in 24th after struggling with an unknown issue in the front-right of his Mustang.
Will Davison led the cohort of retiring veterans with a finish of 13th, ahead of James Courtney and Nick Percat in 14th and 22nd, respectively.
RACE 34 RESULTS:
1. Matt Payne (Grove Racing)
2. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti United)
3. Will Brown (Triple Eight Race Engineering)
4. Kai Allen (Grove)
5. Anton De Pasquale (Team 18)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
1. Chaz Mostert (WAU) 5306
2. Will Brown (Triple Eight) -62pts
3. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight) -66pts
4. Kai Allen (Grove) -83pts
AAP
