Chaz Mostert emerged victorious after a thrilling, elbows-out duel with Brodie Kostecki in Race 9 of the 2025 Supercars Championship at the ITM Taupō Super 440, securing his first win of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship season.
The Supercars veteran used every ounce of his 357-race experience to outwit and outpace Kostecki in a captivating clash that saw strategy, precision, and no shortage of aggression come into play.
The Walkinshaw Andretti driver not only clinched career win number 25 but also became the sixth different winner from as many races this season—a testament to the sheer competitiveness of the field.
While the final margin may have made it look like a comfortable cruise, the reality was anything but. Kostecki hounded Mostert throughout, briefly snatching the lead with a bold move before a costly error handed it straight back.
The pole-sitter’s troubles began right from the start. A poor getaway saw Kostecki lose the initial advantage, with Mostert leaping ahead and Broc Feeney threatening around the outside. Kostecki held firm into Turn 2, but the fight was on.
David Reynolds and Cooper Murray tangled at Turn 7, splitting the field. Despite the contact, no further action was taken after Reynolds redressed the move.
Mostert steadily built a gap as chaos unfolded behind. Will Davison muscled past Will Brown for fourth, Payne sliced through the pack, and Cam Waters lost ground after being caught up in a freight train of midfield madness. Brown, struggling on tyres, quickly became a cork in the bottle, falling down the order as Randle, Waters, De Pasquale, and Heimgartner all pounced.
At the front, Kostecki refused to let Mostert escape. On lap 18, he launched a daring move at Turn 5 to snatch the lead. But it didn’t last. Both drivers pitted a lap later, and in a moment of high drama, Kostecki slid into the pit entry wall. Although he emerged ahead, the momentum had shifted. Mostert attacked immediately and reclaimed the lead with a gutsy dive at Turn 4.
From there, Mostert defended smartly, resisting further pressure from Kostecki, who threw everything at the #25 Mustang with 16 laps remaining—nudging him at Turn 1 and lunging at Turn 4. But Mostert’s counterattack was clinical, forcing Kostecki wide and breaking his challenge.
As Kostecki faded, Davison capitalized, climbing to second. Feeney tried to hold him off but couldn’t withstand the pressure and eventually lost places to both Davison and Payne after a late mistake.
Mostert crossed the line 6.4 seconds clear of the field, claiming his maiden Supercars win on New Zealand soil. Davison took second, with Kostecki salvaging third ahead of Payne and Feeney.
It was another bruising day for championship contenders. Waters slumped to 14th, relinquishing the series lead to Brown—who himself battled to only seventh—while Feeney sits 73 points adrift.
Further down the order, Anton De Pasquale endured a nightmare race after a bungled pit stop left him limping home in 20th. The entire 37-lap affair ran without a Safety Car, but the super soft tyres added an unpredictable twist, with grip levels fluctuating wildly and strategy proving pivotal.
Mostert, though, had no complaints.
“It was a super tough tussle,” he admitted post-race.
“We had a strong car early, but I started running out of tyre life late on. The strategy was aggressive, but it paid off—I knew I had to fight hard after the stops.”
Kiwi Contingent in Race 9 –
Grove Racing’s Matthew Payne led the New Zealand charge in Race 9 of the Repco Supercars Championship, starting from seventh on the grid and sharing the fourth row with teammate Kai Allen.
Brad Jones Racing’s Andre Heimgartner lined up in 11th, alongside fellow Kiwi and WAU driver Ryan Wood in 12th. Richie Stanaway started from 13th, while BJR’s Jaxon Evans began the race further down the field in 19th.
Payne’s race got off to a challenging start after he was issued a five-second time penalty for a false start. Despite the setback, he delivered an impressive drive, charging through the field and finishing just outside the podium in fourth—only six-tenths of a second behind Brodie Kostecki. Payne now sits 4th in the 2025 Championship with 398 points.
Heimgartner showed similar resilience to Race 8 earlier in the day, steadily climbing through the pack to finish eighth. After two consistent races, he sits 9th in the Championship on 289 points.
Close behind was Wood, who made up three positions to secure a strong ninth-place result, contributing to a notable Kiwi presence in the top ten.
Evans endured a tough outing, ultimately crossing the line in 19th, mirroring his starting position. He sits in 18th position in the Championship standings with 174 points.
Stanaway, who had been running as high as fifth mid-race, saw his strategy unravel in the second stint after a bold call to change only the rear tyres. The gamble didn’t pay off, and he dropped down the order to finish 21st. He’s now tied with Cooper Murray on 131 points in the Championship.
With three New Zealand drivers finishing inside the top ten, Race 9 highlighted the strength and determination of the Kiwi contingent on home soil.
With the field wide open and the championship picture shifting yet again, Sunday’s qualifying, Top 10 Shootout, and Race 10 promise even more fireworks at the fast and unforgiving Taupō layout.
Header Image: Jessica Barnes / Blissful Photography
