Chaz Mostert pulled off a sensational maiden V8 Supercars victory in the weekend’s third race at Ipswich’s Queensland Raceway.
The rookie put the little-fancied Dick Johnson Ford on the front row in qualifying and, with the track damp from a brief rain shower, reaped the benefits of starting on the drier side of the circuit.
He beat poleman Will Davison into Turn 1 and from there led the way until the chequered flag in a largely uneventful afternoon for the youngster, compared to those behind him.
Scott McLaughlin was promoted to second place after Tim Slade and Davison ran wide at Turn 3 on the laps two and six respectively – the latter after slipping on oil deposited by Tim Blanchard’s Ford.
Positions remained stable throughout the opening phase of the race until a succession of left-front tyre failures shuffled the order.
Current championship leader Jamie Whincup was the first to experience a tyre delimination while running in eighth on lap eight. It resulted in significant panel damage and lost him a lap in the process.
He was forced to pit again on lap 19 for further checks and ultimately finished in 25th position.
The most significant casualty from the tyre issues, however, was McLaughlin who had been keeping tabs on Mostert but was forced to pit on lap 22 and lost a likely podium finish.
Davison was therefore gifted second place which he held until the finish, with Mark Winnterbottom rounding off the top three after keeping his nose clean and making up five positions in the race.
David Reynolds claimed fourth, as Fabian Coulthard scythed through the field from 12th to finish in the top five, ahead of Craig Lowndes who had a less torrid afternoon than his Triple 8 team-mate.
Mostert’s win is the legendary Dick Johnson team’s first since 2010. The squad scaled back from four to two cars during a turbulent winter and initially struggled at the back of the field this season.
Results - 32 laps:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Chaz Mostert Dick Johnson Ford 38m01.9510s
2. Will Davison FPR Ford +2.010s
3. Mark Winterbottom FPR Ford +3.994s
4. David Reynolds Rod Nash/FPR Ford +7.608s
5. Fabian Coulthard Brad Jones Holden +7.977s
6. Craig Lowndes Triple 8 Holden +8.399s
7. Jason Bright Brad Jones Holden +14.984s
8. Tim Slade Rosenberg/Erebus Mercedes +15.972s
9. Rick Kelly Nissan +23.237s
10. Todd Kelly Nissan +23.421s
11. Shane van Gisbergen Tekno Holden +26.327s
12. James Moffat Nissan +26.475s
13. Tony D'Alberto D'Alberto Holden +28.817s
14. Jonathon Webb Tekno Holden +29.519s
15. Dean Fiore Dumbrell Holden +29.748s
16. Michael Caruso Nissan +31.154s
17. Maro Engel Erebus Mercedes +31.461s
18. Lee Holdsworth Erebus Mercedes +34.754s
19. Scott Pye Dumbrell Holden +40.327s
20. Scott McLaughlin GRM Holden +53.588s
21. Garth Tander HRT Holden +54.906s
22. Alex Davison Schwerkolt/FPR Ford +55.736s
23. James Courtney HRT Holden +1 lap
24. David Wall Britek/BJR Holden +1 lap
25. Jamie Whincup Triple 8 Holden +2 laps
26. Alexandre Premat GRM Holden +6 laps
Retirements:
Tim Blanchard Dick Johnson Ford 6 laps
Russell Ingall Walkinshaw/HRT Holden 0 laps
