Mostert overhauls Payne to take crucial Sydney win

Chaz Mostert has played his way back into the championship fight, turning the tables on Matt Payne to win a strategic race at the Panasonic Air Conditioning Sydney SuperNight.

Two weeks after putting a bold strategy to work in Townsville, a one-stopping Payne was powerless to deny a rampant Mostert, who claimed the lead with four laps remaining.

Mostert raced away to his second win of the season and fourth in Sydney, giving the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver’s championship hopes a major boost.

With Will Brown sixth and Broc Feeney ninth, Mostert is now just 126 points from the championship leader, and just 30 points behind Feeney.

Payne crossed the line 2.6412s behind, with Thomas Randle, Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale completing an all-Ford top five.

Brown was the first Chevrolet home in sixth ahead of pole-sitter Cam Waters, who was undone by fuel flow issues and a clumsy redress attempt midway through the race. Nick Percat, Feeney and Brodie Kostecki rounded out the top 10, with reigning champion Kostecki racing from 18th into the top 10.

"The car was really good. Probably had a few different strengths and weaknesses than the guys around me in the first couple of stints," said Mostert, who added to his Perth victory.

"Our team was the man of the match for having a super-fast car today. We had to work for it at the start and in those stints, of build gaps. But it was a lot of fun. "

Randle got the jump on Waters, with the Castrol Ford leading the field through Turn 1. As the Tickford teammates rolled around Turn 2, Mark Winterbottom and Macauley Jones spun into the outfield.

Replays showed Winterbottom spearing right under brakes, taking out Jones. Winterbottom was forced into the garage with damage, and returned to the race, albeit nine laps down.

On lap 4, there was more drama for Brad Jones Racing, this time for Bryce Fullwood after a spin attempting to overtake Ryan Wood.

Randle built a gap as Waters fought off Mostert, with the WAU Mustang getting by on lap 11 after a spirited battle through Turns 2 to 8. The battle helped Randle open up a 2.3s lead, which quickly blew out to 3.3s.

Kostecki was the first to take a compulsory stop on lap 12, with Percat coming in on lap 13, and David Reynolds on lap 14. De Pasquale was first of the leading pack to stop on lap 15, with Waters falling into the clutches of the Shell Ford duo.

Mostert and Feeney followed leader Randle into the lane on lap 17, with Mostert emerging ahead of Randle. Waters, Davison and Brown came in on the next lap, with Davison rolling out ahead of Waters.

With an eye on a one-stop strategy, Payne extended to lap 23, with Cameron Hill and Fullwood pressing on. Hill stopped on lap 26, handing the effective lead to Mostert, who had 4.8s over Randle.

Waters had a crack at Reynolds into Turn 8, but contact saw Waters attempt to redress down the pit straight. Feeney took advantage and fired down the inside at Turn 1, before Waters regained his place and set off after the top five.

All the while, Mostert had opened up a 5.8s lead over Randle, with De Pasquale, Davison, Percat, Kostecki, Waters, Brown, Feeney and Reynolds rounding out the top 10. On lap 28, an ill-fated dive on Feeney at Turn 5 sent Reynolds into a spin, with Reynolds dropping to 16th.

On lap 31, De Pasquale, Waters, Percat, Kostecki and Reynolds came in for their second stops, with Davison in on lap 32. Mostert stopped from the lead on lap 33, and emerged 12 seconds ahead of Davison.

Randle, Brown, Le Brocq and Wood came in on the following lap. Randle was forced to hold behind Wood, who benefited teammate Mostert, who now had a seven-second margin over the Castrol Ford.

Feeney stopped on lap 35, and emerged buried in the back. By that stage, Payne regained the lead, with Mostert 14 seconds behind. It set up a 17-lap run home, with Mostert beginning to eat into the race leader’s margin.

Randle was third ahead of Davison, the one-stopping Hill, De Pasquale, Percat, Waters, Brown and Kostecki. Brown picked off Waters for eighth, with Feeney trying to keep pace with the top 10.

The margin between Payne and Mostert dipped under five seconds with eight laps to go, and was within two seconds with six laps to go. At that stage, Feeney — who had recovered to 10th — incurred a track limits warning.

As Mostert caught and overtook Payne into Turn 6 with four laps remaining, Le Brocq — who had already been penalised over an unsafe release on Andre Heimgartner — pulled over into retirement with smoke emanating from from his Camaro.

Le Brocq was the only retirement from the race, with Reynolds crossing the line in 17th.

Supercars will return to the track on Sunday for Boost Mobile Qualifying at 12:05pm AEST, before the Top Ten Shootout at 1:40pm. The Panasonic Air Conditioning Sydney SuperNight will conclude with Race 16 at 4:05pm.