Kostecki claims Mustang has ‘plenty of pace’

Brodie Kostecki has responded to Cameron Waters’ parity gripes after the latter just missed out on a podium in Race 11 of the Repco Supercars Championship at Symmons Plains.

Kostecki and Erebus Motorsport team-mate Will Brown are now one-two in the championship after they finished second and third respectively, behind fellow Chevrolet Camaro driver Broc Feeney, in the latest encounter at the Ned Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint.

Brown, however, just held off Waters in the battle for the final podium place, by 0.1520s after 42 Safety Car-free laps, having started third on the grid compared to the Ford Mustang pilot’s 10th.

Furthermore, the Erebus duo both led during the opening stint, although they lacked the outright pace of Feeney in the #88 Triple Eight Race Engineering entry.

Kostecki said post-race, “We’ll probably just make a few small changes [for Race 12] – no big swings.

“But, I saw Cam wasn’t too far behind as well, and I think he started 10th or 11th, so he’s got a plenty of pace in that Ford Mustang, that’s for sure.”

Waters had likened his situation to being “in a gunfight with a knife” after being the only Mustang driver to qualify in the top 10 for Race 10 and the only one to finish that encounter in the top eight.

He did, however, set the fastest qualifying lap of Saturday, in Part 2 of the three-part knockout session, and the fastest lap of the race which followed, while fellow Ford pilot Will Davison scored the five bonus points in Race 11.

Waters, however, pointed to an inability to make tyres last, and also made a remark which is consistent with ongoing claims from the Ford camp that they are at an acceleration disadvantage, issued which are argued by some to be related.

“[I had] no tyre left,” he stated after Race 11.

“You know, my tyres are good for 10 laps, where those things [Camaros] can kind of carry it for the whole race, so I just didn’t have enough drive to kind of stay on [Brown’s] rear bar and then they were very good out of the hairpin, so [the] damage was kind of done.

“I couldn’t lunge him into [Turn] 6 but it’s alright, we’re moving forward and we’re at the pointy end of the field.

“Just really want to get a podium or a win.”

Race 12, another 42-lapper, starts this afternoon at 15:50 local time/AEST.