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Chaz Mostert is said to be “on another level” in how he is performing in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, according to individuals within Garry Rogers Motorsport.
Mostert has now won five of the past six TCR Australia races and was leading the other, at Phillip Island last month, when he suffered a tyre failure.
With the sweep of the Bathurst round at Easter, the Audi driver consolidated his position at the top of the table, where his margin over the field is now more than a race.
He took over the series lead from GRM’s own Jordan Cox, who won two of the three races in Round 1 of the season, at Symmons Plains, and produced plenty of highlights last time out at Mount Panorama.
After a qualifying mishap saw him put to the rear of the 22-car field for the start of Race 1, due to losing his fastest lap, Cox managed to take the chequered flag third in the weekend finale under a progressive grid format.
The Alfa Romeo pilot’s talent in front-wheel drive cars was already known, whereas Mostert plies his trade in Supercars, a rear-wheel drive category.
Nevertheless, Cox was impressed by what he saw from the Walkinshaw Andretti United star at Bathurst, according to GRM director Barry Rogers.
“Between [Mostert] and [Shane] van Gisbergen, they’re the two form drivers in the world probably, those two at the moment,” Rogers told Speedcafe.com.
“We have got some really good quality drivers in the field; Michael Caruso, Cox, Aaron Cameron, the Bargwannas [Jason and son Ben].
“There’s a really good field there but it’s interesting actually; when Jordan Cox came in after practice and he was up behind Chaz across the top of The Mountain, even he made comment, ‘He’s on another level’.
“And let me tell you, Cox can wheel one of those front-wheel drive cars pretty well and he even commented that the way that Chaz attacked across the top was just another level to what he thought he was capable of.”
Rogers, also a 47.5 percent shareholder of the Australian Racing Group company which owns TCR Australia, said that the presence of names such as Mostert is a boost for the fledgling hot hatch series.
However, he suggested that the benefits flow both ways, due to the value of extra seat time.
Van Gisbergen made a similar point after winning the Bathurst 6 Hour on a weekend when he also drove in Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS, as did Mostert for the same Audi squad which runs his TCR entry.
Tickford Racing boss Tim Edwards has also expressed his enthusiasm for Cameron Waters racing a sprint car, given that it forces one to learn to adapt to different conditions.
“[Mostert is] certainly a quality driver, and as much from a PR perspective, having big names in there, sure that probably adds something,” added Rogers.
“But, for the drivers to be in and out of different cars… You look at van Gisbergen over the years, he’s been one of those guys that jumps out of one, into another.
“Certainly, there’s a big argument to say he’s the best driver in the country and I think a lot of it has got to do with that all-round ability of being able to adapt from one car to another.”
While Cox has shown his class in Supercheap Auto TCR Australia this year, it was another driver who was well and truly in the limelight at Bathurst.
Aaron Cameron finished second in all three races, having led initially on each occasion in his Peugeot, and Rogers believes a second series race win to go with that he took at The Bend in 2019 is not far away.
“Really, really pleased and proud of Aaron,” said Rogers.
“I mean, we know what motorsport is all about. He hasn’t got the wealthy parents who get him there, he hasn’t got the big sponsors behind him but Garry sort of got behind him and Valvoline got behind him and he goes out during the week with his little digger – he’s got a little dingo that he tows around on his trailer…
“He is a very, very underrated driver. He very rarely puts a foot wrong and has tremendous speed.
“I was really, really pleased for him and I think a win is around the corner, so we’ll wait and see at Sydney.”
Sydney Motorsport Park hosts Round 4 as part of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships on April 30-May 2.
