Brown 'completely on the edge' with Mostert hunting

Will Brown "on the edge" defending from Chaz Mostert
Brown overhauled Mostert in stops to win Race 2
Mostert led 23 laps in Sunday's Thrifty Bathurst 500 finale

Will Brown was "completely on the edge" en route to victory in the Thrifty Bathurst 500, with a charging Chaz Mostert in arrears in the final stint.

Brown overhauled Mostert in the final pit stop to claim the lead, and raced to his first victory as a Red Bull Ampol Racing driver.

However, Brown had it all to do, with the Toowoomba-born driver forced to hold off a racy Mostert, who led to the second stops.

Mostert was within a second of Brown until the final laps, with the #25 Mobil 1 Optus Ford eventually settling for second.

Brown had set about creating a gap, but couldn't shake Mostert, who was the benchmark driver across the top of the Mountain all weekend.

"I was just completely on the edge the whole time," Brown said.

"I think I didn't breathe for about the first 10 laps of the last stint when Chaz was pushing me along.

"Really hard stint, but awesome race. It was cool to race with a great mate, awesome racer and I knew he'd definitely have a lunge if he got close enough to me. He's that sort of racer.

"So, I was just trying to make sure I had a big enough gap that he couldn't have a go."

The win helped Brown claim the championship lead from teammate Broc Feeney, who finished third despite being penalised early on over a lap 1 clash with James Golding.

Brown ensured Mostert's wait for a first win since Adelaide 2022 continued, but the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver has already adjusted his expectations to take it to the young Red Bull Ampol duo.

“Look, I'm not gonna lie. I'm a little bit gutted,” Mostert said.