Kostecki beats Fords at The Bend, Brown DNF

Brodie Kostecki has extended his Repco Supercars Championship lead with victory in Race 20 at The Bend while Erebus Motorsport team-mate Will Brown was a victim of a first-corner crash.

Kostecki lost the start to both Thomas Randle and Chaz Mostert but would get back ahead of those Ford Mustang drivers before the pit stop cycle began, and was never headed again in effective terms.

He would drive the #99 Coca-Cola Camaro to a 1.7188s victory over the #25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang of Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Mostert, who prevailed in a willing battle with Randle for the minor placings in the opening race of the OTR SuperSprint.

Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang) hung on for third, ahead of Tickford Racing team-mate Cameron Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang), while Shane van Gisbergen finished fifth and his Red Bull Ampol Racing team-mate Broc Feeney sixth.

Brown’s misfortune means van Gisbergen and Brown now move up to second and third in the drivers’ championship respectively, with Kostecki’s lead out to 80 points.

When the start lights went out, Randle bested pole-sitter Kostecki from the outside of the front row while Mostert bolted from Row 3 to slot into second place as they negotiated the first corner.

There was mayhem in the mid-pack as the field funneled into Turn 1.

Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) gave Brown a nudge which unsettled the #9 Camaro and, ironically, it was turned around by his impending replacement at Erebus when Jack Le Brocq (#34 Truck Assist Camaro), who was in a squeeze with Nick Percat (#2 Mobil 1 NTI Mustang) on his right, made contact.

When Le Brocq’s current team-mate Cameron Hill tried to shift right in evasive action, he crowded Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro) and was also turned around before being collected by Fullwood’s team-mate Jack Smith.

Under the ensuing Safety Car, Randle led Mostert, Kostecki, van Gisbergen, Waters, Feeney, Matt Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang), James Courtney (#5 Snowy River Caravans Mustang), Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro), and Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang).

Brown (#9 Coca-Cola Camaro), Hill (#35 Truck Assist Camaro), and Smith (#4 SCT Logistics Camaro) were out on the spot, while Race Control would advise no further action over the incident.

The restart came on Lap 5, with Feeney and Courtney kicking off the compulsory pit stop cycle at the end of that 4.95km tour.

Kostecki lunged past Mostert for second place at the Turn 6 hairpin on Lap 7, while Waters came to pressure van Gisbergen for fourth.

Waters made the pass on Lap 9 through the Turn 13/Turn 14 complex, although his cause was helped with a nudge which appeared to move the #97 Camaro wide.

Randle resisted Kostecki once when he covered the #99 Camaro at Turn 6, incurring nose-to-tail contact in doing so, but could not block the dive later on Lap 11 at Turn 17.

Seconds later, Randle and Mostert pitted virtually nose-to-tail, before Waters and van Gisbergen were into the lane on Lap 12.

Waters rejoined at the head of that quartet but was passed by both Randle and Mostert at the next braking zone, and they resumed their battle.

When Kostecki stopped a lap later again, taking rears as apparently everyone else had done, he resumed just ahead of Randle.

The Erebus driver was on cold tyres but was handed a reprieve when Mostert lunged Randle at Turn 6 and then fed a wheel to the #55 Mustang as they exited the left-hander on their way to the string of right-handers.

The contact was investigated but resulted in no further action.

When Mark Winterbottom (#18 DeWalt Camaro) pitted at the end of Lap 16, the cycle was done.

Kostecki led by 1.2s over Mostert, from Randle, Waters, van Gisbergen, Feeney, Courtney, Payne, Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang), and Heimgartner.

As Randle lost touch with Mostert somewhat, Waters was told to hold position in the closing stages, which apparently displeased the #6 Mustang pilot.

Randle bowled a wide at Turn 17 on the final lap but held on, as Kostecki extended his championship lead with victory.

Behind Kostecki, Mostert, Randle, Waters, van Gisbergen, and Feeney at the chequered flag was Payne in seventh and Courtney in eighth, the latter claiming the fastest lap bonus points.

Davison and Heimgartner rounded out the top 10.

Qualifying for Race 21 and Qualifying for Race 22 kick off tomorrow from 09:45 local time/10:15 AEST.

Complete Race 20 results here.

Drivers’ championship

Teams’ championship