Mostert is one of the most popular drivers among the Supercars fanbase, thanks to his vibrant, outgoing personality, and was last year voted by journalists as the Barry Sheene Medalist for the first time.
However, he is also a two-time Bathurst 1000 winner, famously passing Jamie Whincup in the final lap of the ultra-chaotic 2014 Great Race before he and Lee Holdsworth dominated for WAU in 2021.
The Mobil 1 Optus Mustang pilot broke a victory drought stretching back to the final day of the 2022 season when he prevailed last month at Wanneroo, and would likely have swept the Perth weekend if not for a penalty for a pit lane breach on the Sunday.
One event later, WAU and Mostert tumbled near enough to the bottom of the field as their struggles on the super soft tyre continued at Hidden Valley.
Nevertheless, after qualifying 22nd on the Friday afternoon in Darwin, the 32-year-old made light of his predicament with a callback to his karting days, when “Dad would offer me a cheeseburger every time I passed a car.”
Wood, though, offered a contrasting insight into Chaz Mostert, the racer, in the first episode of Supercars’ new Drivers Only podcast.
“He’s pretty blunt, to be honest,” said the 20-year-old New Zealander.
“He’s pretty larrikin, he’s one of the dudes, but I probably underestimated how serious he is when it comes to the racing side of it.
“…which I am as well, but there’s only one result he wants to achieve – like the rest of us – [and that is to] win.
“Even, Perth was a great weekend for us but because he made a mistake in that Sunday race, I couldn’t believe how [hard he took it].
“It’s an eye-opener for me as a rookie, though, because it gives me perspective of how much it means to not only us as a driver but our team and everything like that.
“So, just learning that side of it’s been cool.”
Mostert is currently third in the Repco Supercars Championship standings, behind only the Red Bull Ampol Racing duo of Will Brown and Broc Feeney.
Wood, who is 17th in his first season since being promoted from WAU’s Super2 programme, added, “It’s good to learn off someone that’s at the peak of their career, I think, so it’s been cool.”
The 2024 Supercars Championship continues this weekend with the NTI Townsville 500.
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