Kostecki tops Mostert in controversial Sydney thriller

Brodie Kostecki has cruised to a commanding race win in the Sydney SuperNight opener as post-race penalties shook up the remaining podium places and saw Cam Waters and Shane van Gisbergen stripped of third.

Chaz Mostert drove clean to finish second, but Waters was stripped of third after a 5-second penalty was applied for an earlier unsafe release. This elevated van Gisbergen to third, only for the Kiwi to suffer the same penalty following final lap contact with Will Brown as he attempted a move for position.

Once applied, the penalties elevated Brown to third over Jack Le Brocq, Waters and Tim Slade, while van Gisbergen was left classified seventh, having charged forward from 20th.

There was also hard luck for pole-sitter Andre Heimgartner, who was one of only three drivers to opt for a one-stop strategy. A mid-race Safety Car for a David Reynolds crash would ultimately gift the field a cheap stop to leave the BJR driver vulnerable on slightly older rubber. They would rightly stop for a tyre change but dropped to 15th, only gaining one further position following the restart to finish 14th.

It was also a tricky race for Matt Payne who came home in 24th.

Heimgartner was under pressure from the get-go, pipped off the line by a fast-starting Kostecki and Brown who pulled a clear gap over the field into Turn 1. Waters would follow through, as would Cameron Hill at Turn 2, leaving Heimgartner fifth and vulnerable to those behind.

By the end of lap three he sat seventh, while further back van Gisbergen had begun moving forward from 20th and was 17th.

Heimgartner would lose a further spot to Chaz Mostert on Lap 11 as he attempted to regain sixth off Hill. Davison would follow through later that lap, leaving the Kiwi ninth.

By this point van Gisbergen had moved forward to 12th while Kostecki had built a gap over Brown and Waters, respectively.

Hill was the first of the lead pack to take a stop for fuel and tyres on Lap 30, opting to only take roughly half of his required 80 litres. Brown, Waters and Van Gisbergen would follow on Lap 17, with the Tickford Mustang passing the Erebus Camaro in pit lane. They too opted for a two-stop by only taking half their fuel loads.

Kostecki took his first stop on Lap 20, while Davison, Heimgartner and Reynolds remained out, opting for a one-stop strategy.

Davison would take all 80 litres onboard on Lap 22, dropping to the rear, while Reynolds would do the same on Lap 24 and Heimgartner a lap later, emerging ahead of the pair.

This saw Kostecki retake the lead over Waters, Brown and Le Brocq, respectively, while van Gisbergen moved to ninth.

A strong result looked likely for the one-stop competitors, but their chances were effectively ruined on Lap 33 when David Reynolds hit the wall and limped to the infield.

It took a lap for the Safety Car to be called to retrieve the car, however prior to this pit lane would receive an influx of cars making their final stops in anticipation of the intervention.

Heimgartner would follow them in for a tyre change, returning to the track in 15th. Kostecki would lead Brown, Waters, Le Brocq, Mostert, Pye and van Gisbergen once the field fell into file.

Van Gisbergen was quick to pick off Pye following the Lap 39 restart, also working past Le Brocq the following lap.

News would come over the race radio of a 5-second penalty for Waters, much to his displeasure which lead to an expletive-ridden response.

Kostecki would pull clear up front over the closing laps, while the battle for the other podium places intensified.

On Lap 49 Brown would attempt a move on Waters, only for Mostert to join the party as the trio ran three-wide into Turn 12. Van Gisbergen would join the party as Mostert made the move to second and Waters slotted back into third.

Brown and van Gisbergen were locked in a thrilling last-lap battle which saw the Kiwi making contact with the rear of his rival as he was blocked off at Turn 12. Brown would run wide at the exit, allowing van Gisbergen through for what seemed a podium after Waters penalty was applied.

Brown and the team at Erebus weren’t happy at the result, resulting in further radio and live television chaos. Van Gisbergen would receive a 5-second penalty post-race, however, elevating Brown to third and Le Brocq to fourth. Waters was classified fifth, ahead of Slade, while van Gisbergen was seventh.

Kostecki would ultimately cruise to a 7-second victory over Mostert.

Heimgartner would finish 14th, while Payne was 24th following late-race contact with Macauley Jones.

Race 18 Results

Header Image: Supercars