Mostert pips van Gisbergen in pre-shootout practice

Chaz Mostert has pipped Shane van Gisbergen in the last practice session before the Top 10 Shootout at the 2021 Repco Bathurst 1000.

Mostert drove the #25 Walkinshaw Andretti United entry to a 2:04.1877s on his final run in Practice 6 before Red Bull Ampol Racing’s van Gisbergen clocked a 2:04.1994s in the #888 ZB Commodore.

Erebus Motorsport’s Brodie Kostecki may well have done his shootout simulation right at the start of the 60-minute session, when he set a 2:04.7049s which stood up for third all-told in the #99 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore.

Anton De Pasquale was the Shell V-Power Racing Team’s best in fourth while provisional pole-sitter Will Brown was fifth quickest in Erebus’s #9 Shaw And Partners ZB Commodore.

Unsurprisingly, all 10 cars which will be part of this afternoon’s shootout ended up in the top 10 in the final practice session of the weekend at Mount Panorama, with Team Sydney’s Fabian Coulthard next on the timesheet.

The pace was down a couple of tenths on Qualifying on the afternoon prior, although the circuit was bathed in sunshine in Practice 6.

Erebus was quick early in the piece, Brown clocking a 2:05.8458s on his first flyer which was usurped by team-mate Brodie Kostecki once he got back to the control line on that 2:04.7049s.

Cameron Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang) was third initially with a string of mid-sixes before De Pasquale (#11 Mustang) and Mostert’s co-driver Lee Holdsworth (#25 Mobil 1 Appliances ZB Commodore) traded that place.

Mostert joined in once Holdsworth handed Car #25 over, and the 2014 Bathurst 1000 winner then moved to second on a 2:05.7146s in the 25th minute.

Cameron Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang) took over third on a 2:05.7924s just past the half-hour mark, before Tim Slade (#3 CoolDrive Mustang) went second-quickest on a 2:05.5741s.

Van Gisbergen took over second spot when he set a 2:05.0375s with just over 20 minutes remaining, before Nick Percat (#8 R&J Batteries ZB Commodore) and then Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) moved into third position, the latter on a 2:05.4119s.

There was finally change at the top with just over 10 minutes to go when van Gisbergen clocked a 2:04.4258s, just as Matt Campbell went out in the #7 Ned Mustang for which repairs had finished following his Practice 5 crash.

With just over five minutes remaining, Mostert had a crack at his shootout simulation, which yielded the 2:04.1877s that was fastest in all three sectors at that point.

Van Gisbergen was dispatched for the same task a few minutes later, beating Mostert’s first sector but losing a little time over the rest of the lap and reaching the control line 0.0117s slower.

“I think we have tuned it up a little bit from qualifying and we’re just neatening up a few little areas that we didn’t quite get right in qualifying,” said Mostert, who had seen Holdsworth set the pace in the preceding session for co-drivers only.

“I don’t want to jinx it. It has been a pretty fantastic car since we rolled out of the gate; it’s just a pleasure to drive.

“I’ve had it for years over here where you could have a car that’s not quite right and you’re just hanging on, but the car gives you great feedback, you can feel the tyre underneath the car and it’s a real credit to the whole WAU team here to give us that confident car rolling out.

“This is probably the first Bathurst I haven’t done really too many crazy changes.

“It’s probably good for our guys because at SMP, we threw the kitchen sink at it every weekend.

“So, all their hard work they put into the four weeks, it’s good to reward them with a nice, hopefully relaxing run into the race.

Brodie Kostecki ended up 0.5172s off the pace while, between the Mostert and van Gisbergen simulations, De Pasquale set a 2:04.7956s which he reported on the radio was “so loose”.

Brown ended up fifth on a 2:04.8569s, followed by Tickford Racing’s Waters on a 2:04.9270s and Jack Le Brocq (#5 Truck Assist Mustang) on a 2:04.9709s.

Rounding out the top 10 were Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) on a 2:04.9781s, Nick Percat (#8 R&J Batteries ZB Commodore) on a 2:05.0024s, and Tim Slade (#3 CoolDrive Mustang) on a 2:05.0937s.

Coulthard had driven the #19 Local Legends ZB Commodore as quick as a 2:05.3584s, while Jamie Whincup ended up 16th with a best time of 2:05.7883s in the #88 Red Bull Ampol ZB Commodore.

In the third Triple Eight Race Engineering entry, that being the #39 Supercheap Auto ZB Commodore, Broc Feeney/Russell Ingall wound up 21st courtesy of the former’s 2:06.4213s.

Teams took the opportunity to practice pit stops in the early stages of the session, with Team Sydney having some trouble with an initial brake rotor change.

Next up is the Top 10 Shootout, from 17:05 local time/AEDT.

Results: Practice 6