​Brodie Kostecki delivered a commanding performance as Dick Johnson Racing clinched a dominant win in the third and final Supercars race on Townsville’s street circuit in far north Queensland. Although Kostecki spectated a bit in qualifying, when Cam Waters, the Tickford Ford Mustang driver, claimed pole and led the field from the start, the Australian racer quickly found his rhythm. He moved up to second place, overtaking a fast-starting Ryan Wood in the Walkinshaw TWG Toyota GR Supra, before peeling off onto the track for an early first pit stop.
Once back on track, Kostecki built his victory around a 32-lap middle stint, where his tyre management was outstanding. He extended his lead to as much as eight seconds over rivals who were still on fresher rubber in the middle phase of the race. By the time the chequered flag flew, the 2023 champion stood 9.34 seconds clear of the field.
Reflecting on the result, Kostecki, celebrating his 17th career win, praised the car’s speed despite a momentary scare when he brushed a concrete wall during a celebratory burnout. “It had this potential the whole weekend, but we didn’t get it right earlier,” he said after the race. “The car had the pace in it, and we had options. We stopped early, but the car would have carried it through. It’s a really cool feeling to win on a Sunday. I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard; I stayed in rhythm repeatedly. We’ll definitely celebrate this one.”
Grove Racing’s Matt Payne also ran a strong race, doing a solid job managing his tyres in the final stint. His efforts were aided by Waters losing pace after his second stop, and apart from a longer-than-expected pit lane wait, Waters’s Tickford crew did not take on a full fuel load, forcing Waters to switch to fuel-saving mode once he returned to the track in fourth, before climbing to third by the finish.
“We were making sure we brought the beast back,” Payne commented after securing his 13th podium of the season. “We started third and I got a poor start, but we still managed to grab some more points and had a solid day. I really need to focus on the start for the next race.”
Waters conceded that the car crossed the line with very little fuel remaining. “I reckon it would be zero,” he joked. “We didn’t get enough fuel in the car, which was a real shame. The car was incredibly fast, aside from that fuel issue, but that’s how it goes.” He added that although yesterday’s race didn’t yield the gains they hoped for, today’s performance was more representative of the car’s capabilities and provided a strong weekend overall.
The notion of a Ford top-five sweep was dashed by the performance of the WTWG Supras. In his 200th Supercars race, Chaz Mostert delivered an impressive opening stint from sixth on the grid to finish fourth, with Wood two spots behind. Both drivers were among those who faced some fuel-saving considerations as the race progressed.