Chaz Mostert, the 33-year-old driver for Walkinshaw Andretti United, captured a memorable win at the Gold Coast 500. This victory was an impressive dispute from his lacklustre drive at the Bathurst 1000 only a fortnight prior. Mostert’s win served the talented competitor with the sugarcoated flavor of redemption. With this victory in the books, he’s now netted three wins this season – catapulting him to title contention as the series heads into the final few rounds.
The race played out fiercely and ferociously on all sides. On lap 57, Mostert moved around pole-sitter Broc Feeney, courtesy of an impeccable pit stop. That strategic move turned out to be the winning move of the race. The race was spiced up by a safety car incident when James Courtney crashed heavily into a tire wall with only eight laps to go. Through these challenges, Mostert showed incredible poise and dexterity to hold off his competition and come away with the win.
A Challenging Path to Victory
Mostert’s path to the podium at the Gold Coast 500 was a testament to his competitive spirit and talent behind the wheel. Mostert was under the pump all weekend after a disappointing Bathurst 1000 effort. He’d notoriously accepted an alcoholic beverage from a spectator as he made his way outside of his automobile. Competing in consecutive events, he was able to pull off his second win in less than 24 hours.
In reflecting on his performance, Mostert grinned at the viciousness with which his opponents raced. “Broc was super fast, and no doubt he probably deserved the victory. He even showed there at the end how fast he was,” he stated after the race. His awe and respect for his fellow competitors depicts the kind of sportsmanship that is truly the pinnacle of all forms of motorsport.
The Impact of Winning
Mostert’s win at the Gold Coast 500 was a monumental and history-making heater, it has far-reaching stakes for the ongoing race season. His score has reached 3,357 points. Now, he’s one of seven drivers fighting for the title heading into the Sandown 500 on Nov. 14. The other drivers still in the running are Broc Feeney, Matt Payne, Will Brown, Cam Waters, Kai Allen and Thomas Randle.
Mostert’s win is a welcome reminder that in the unpredictable world of motorsport, fortunes can change in an instant. After his Bathurst disappointment, he spoke at length about how luck and car pace play a big part in success. “Just our car just wasn’t quite as good on the soft (tyre). You just need some luck sometimes,” he noted, highlighting the unpredictable nature of racing.
Looking Ahead
The excitement doesn’t stop with the Gold Coast 500. Heading into the next to last round of the season, Mostert says he is just concentrating on keeping the good fortune rolling. He wittily recounted the exchange with his wife prior to the race weekend. She said she might have a conflicting date, and he playfully suggested he would simply “win both of them” so as not to face that challenge.
His upcoming schedule includes an early morning commitment following his victory, as Supercars winners are required to attend events shortly afterward. “I joked to my wife coming into this weekend because she said we had an appointment on Monday that we had to make,” Mostert remarked.
