Mostert explains selfless act to ensure Toyota triumph

Ryan Wood’s run to a fairytale win on home soil appeared in serious jeopardy when Mostert emerged ahead following the final round of stops.

A strong middle stint had Mostert third and just over three seconds behind leader Wood when car #1 pitted on lap 41 of 60.

Chasing a slight tyre offset, Wood took his stop two laps later and was jumped by Mostert, much to the surprise of the team and both drivers.

Wood voiced his frustration via team radio – yelling “are you f***ing serious?” – amid tension in the garage over the unintended switch.

Mostert led the next nine laps before telling the team “I’ll protect the win, Woody’s faster” and yielding the position into Turn 1.

Wood ultimately took victory by three seconds from a charging Broc Feeney, with Mostert third.

The Walkinshaw team later confirmed it had been Mostert’s own decision to step aside.

“The two out laps were like 10-tenths, like qualifiers, and I was quite surprised to jump him, to be honest,” Mostert recounted.

“I knew it was our job at that stage to get on with it as fast as we can. I felt really confident in the second stint, so I just took the same confidence into the last stint.

“We probably died off a little bit more than probably what I would have liked in that one, but at that time, Woody caught me.

“You’re trying to get that dream, fairytale of a one-two, and you don’t want to be that driver that costs a one-two, or potentially just a win.

“He was the faster guy today and I just tried to do the best thing I could, which was trying to go get that one-two.”

While Mostert stopped short of declaring it payback to Wood for his help in last year’s Finals Series, the selfless act proved critical to Toyota’s triumph.

Mostert emphasised the threat from Feeney, who overtook teammate Will Brown with 11 laps to go and was closing in.

“[Wood] was always going to get me. He was able to turn under me in different places,” Mostert added.

“He had the final stint car, like I had in the middle stint. It was just so bizarre that the windows are so small.

“Especially around here, with the fuel weight and how the balance changes, it’s really, really tricky.

“Especially on the new soft. For us a bit older boys, it’s really a bit like sim, you’ve just got to hit your marks and believe that the car is going to do this.”