Supercars championship contender Chaz Mostert has sensationally fended off his rivals to win the opening Sydney night race.
Saturday’s 51-lap race at Sydney Motorsport Park began with a Tickford grid frontrow lock-out by polesitter Cam Waters and teammate Thomas Randle.
Randle got the jump on his teammate at the get-go and looked likely to defend his lead for a maiden career win.
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A clinical Mostert had other plans.
After pulling off a diving overtake from the inside to usurp Waters in second place, the Walkinshaw Andretti United star then bamboozled Randle in pit lane.
Mostert followed Randle into pit lane on lap 18 but opted to take 10 litres less fuel than his rival in order to exit earlier.
Randle, realising too late what had happened, desperately tried to reclaim the lead but the door was shut firm.
Grove Racing young gun Matt Payne put up an admirable fight with a one-pit strategy and led the pack late in the race, but Mostert was closing.
Mostert, across the last 14 laps, trimmed a 12-second gap and overtook Payne on the fourth-last lap, racing on to victory.
Payne finished second and Randle third.
Dick Johnson Racing duo Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale followed in fourth and fifth respectively to make up the Ford-only top five.
The win was Mostert’s second of the season and shaved the gap to second-placed Broc Feeney to 21 points in the championship.
Waters, who had hoped to take his third win of the season after winning pole position, slipped to finish in seventh.
Championship leader Will Brown will be kicking himself after failing to bounce back from a horror Townsville outing.
Brown was made to settle for sixth while his Triple Eight teammate Feeney took ninth.
Reigning champion Brodie Kostecki crossed the finish line in 10th.
Kostecki’s teammate Jack Le Brocq (Erebus Motorsport) did not finish after his car caught fire late in the race.
Le Brocq had copped a 15-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pit lane involving Brad Jones Racing’s Andre Heimgartner.
RACE 15 RESULTS:
1. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti United)
2. Matt Payne (Grove Racing)
3. Thomas Randle (Tickford Racing)
4. Will Davison (Dick Johnson Racing)
5. Anton De Pasquale (Dick Johnson Racing)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
1. Will Brown – 1617 pts
2. Broc Feeney – 1512 pts
3. Chaz Mostert – 1491 pts
4. Cam Waters – 1222 pts
5. Matt Payne – 1203 pts