Kostecki controls Surfers finale, late heartbreak for Mostert

Brodie Kostecki has controlled the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 finale from pole position, on a day the title fight shrunk from four to two contenders following late heartbreak for Ford star Chaz Mostert.

Kostecki, who won the Repco Bathurst 1000 two weeks ago, dominated the 85-lap race ahead of Triple Eight teammates Will Brown and Broc Feeney, who will vie for the drivers' championship next month in Adelaide.

Mostert, however, was taken out of title contention in cruel fashion after being forced to pit for a third time, with Walkinshaw Andretti United mistakenly using the wrong fuel rig.

Heading to Adelaide on November 14-17, Brown leads Feeney by 180 points, with Mostert and Cam Waters out of contention, 309 and 428 points behind. Waters managed to finish fourth despite nursing front-end damage after hitting the tyre barriers at the first chicane.

Kostecki claimed his eighth Supercars win and Erebus Motorsport's first on the Surfers streets, with teammate Jack Le Brocq dropped from sixth to eighth after being hit with an unsafe release time penalty.

The race featured one bp pulse Safety Car, triggered on the first lap after a dramatic pile-up at Turn 11.

"That was awesome, these guys pushed me once again, these friggin' energy drink cars right up my arse the last few rounds," Kostecki said.

"Credit to the whole team, they tuned it up for today, so stoked about that. Really fast car and it really came to life towards the end there. We're probably going to jump into the ocean right about now because we're all a bit hot and bothered.

"Awesome race, really fast car, it was just flawless once again. Great execution by the team, the strategy was great, it's awesome."

Brown got off the line better than pole man Kostecki, who managed to hold sway through the first chicane. Mostert, meanwhile, straight-lined the chicane after contact with Le Brocq, and raced into third.

Into Turn 11, Richie Stanaway fired down the inside of Anton De Pasquale, who sent Ryan Wood into the tyre barriers. James Courtney then sent De Pasquale into a spin, blocking the track.

With nowhere to go, Will Davison, Bryce Fullwood, Macauley Jones, Tim Slade, Aaron Love and Jaxon Evans also sustained damage and were delayed, with David Reynolds and Nick Percat also picking up significant damage.

De Pasquale was out on the spot, with Courtney, Wood, Percat, Fullwood and Evans forced into the lane.

Kostecki led the field to green on lap 7, with Brown immediately defending from Mostert. Behind them, Thomas Randle brushed the Turn 3 wall chasing James Golding, who opted to pit out of traffic. However, Golding suffered a disastrous pit stop for the second time in as many days, with the car dropped without the right rear wheel.

Feeney tried to clear Matt Payne at Turn 4 for fifth on lap 19, before smoke emanated from the front right on the next lap. However, the smoke quickly cleared, Triple Eight labelling rubber build-up as the suspected cause of the issue.

As Kostecki continued to lead, Payne was taken out of the train and pitted on lap 23. Le Brocq was brought in on the next lap in response, and emerged three seconds behind the Penrite Ford. Randle stopped on the next lap, and filed in just behind Payne.

Feeney was brought in and rejoined ahead of Payne, with Kostecki's lead breaching one second on lap 27 once Mostert was called into the lane. In what loomed a track position race, Brown was immediately brought in in response, rejoining ahead of Mostert, before Kostecki stopped.

Kostecki retained the effective lead by 2.5s, with Mostert putting Brown under pressure. Kostecki caught the early stoppers, bringing Brown, Mostert and Feeney right back into play. All the while, Waters stopped from the race lead on lap 33.

By the time all cars had completed a stop, Kostecki led Brown, Mostert, Feeney, Payne, Randle, Le Brocq, Waters, Reynolds and Andre Heimgartner, with Wood, Percat and Courtney still circulating despite being laps down.

On lap 40, Brown referenced a suspected steering issue to his team, which monitored the query. It appeared to clear, with Mostert dropping off the back of the Red Bull Ampol Camaro. Behind them, the Tickford teammates marched forward, Randle and Waters picking off Payne for fifth, before Waters was let by at Turn 4.

Feeney peeled off on lap 54, with Kostecki opening up a 3.4s lead over Brown. By then, Waters was 10.5s from the lead, but was setting the time sheets alight. Brown and Mostert stopped on the following lap, with Feeney splitting the duo. As Payne suffered a slow stop, Feeney put his teammate under pressure.

As the two Triple Eight drivers battled, Kostecki and Waters made their second stops. As Kostecki emerged comfortably ahead, Waters rejoined just behind Feeney. As Kostecki got up to temperature, the reigning champion led Brown by 3.1s, with Brown, Feeney, Waters and Mostert all within two seconds.

As Kostecki held margin, the Ford stars behind hit trouble. Waters clouted the tyre bundle at the first chicane, before Mostert was taken out of contention altogether when he was brought in on lap 64.

Mostert came home a distant 11th behind Reynolds, with Kostecki cruising home to win by 3.470s over Brown, with Feeney and Waters just behind. Randle was fifth, with Le Brocq reclassified to eighth behind Heimgartner and Stanaway.

The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will be decided at the season-ending VAILO Adelaide 500 on November 14-17. Tickets are on sale now.