Mostert out to break Sandown 500 hoodoo
Chaz Mostert keen to break Sandown 500 duck
Mostert has finished second twice, third once in 500km race
WAU star just 81 points from championship lead
After some near-misses, Chaz Mostert will be looking to break his Sandown 500 drought at the upcoming Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
The WAU star has been the form driver since the NTI Townsville 500, surging back into championship contention to sit 81 points behind leader Will Brown, the closest pre-enduro points gap since 2018.
The two-time Bathurst winner welcomes back Lee Holdsworth for Sandown and Bathurst, the pair having become one of the most competitive combinations in the enduros.
Mostert and Holdsworth won the 2021 Bathurst 1000, the first event they combined for, and finished fourth at Bathurst last year in an event where the parity debate exploded into life.
Last year’s Sandown 500 was a disaster for WAU, struggling to find speed on the Super Soft tyre, with Mostert and Holdsworth leading teammates Nick Percat and Fabian Coulthard in 22nd and 23rd.
In eight previous Sandown 500 starts, Mostert hasn’t been able to add a Sandown 500 crown to his two Bathurst wins, finishing second in 2015 and 2019, and third in 2017, all with different co-drivers.
On the hunt for his maiden championship win this season, the 32-year-old says that a Sandown win would be special milestone to tick in his career.
“The 500’s always eluded me for whatever reason,” Mostert told Supercars.com.
“Had some really fast cars over the years, but just really struggled. I think the closest year I got was 2015, and we lost out to our teammate that year, so it was still a special result for the team I used to drive for back then.
“It’s one I want to try and get my name on at some point. But, it’s a tough race. It’s the first enduro. Everything needs to go right. Teams need to be well-prepared. Drivers need to be on it.
“It’s a pretty tricky little track as well.”
Mostert's relentless run of consistency since Townsville has seen him finish no lower than fourth in the past six races, including a clean sweep and 300-point weekend in Sydney.
Throughout the past three events, Mostert has insisted that there is no need for WAU to change their aggressive mindset, and that won't change in the longest races of the season.
Tasmania represented a real breakthrough for the Walkinshaw squad, which seemed to overcome their Super Soft struggles in Darwin, with Mostert only six tenths from victory on Saturday.
For Mostert, Sandown will be all about ensuring that newfound Super Soft form is carried into Sandown, the final Super Soft event of the season.
“Full steam ahead. We want wins, and if you get wins, then kind of the rest looks after itself," he said.
“We had a good Tassie. We learned a lot that weekend. No doubt we can do a bit better. Super Soft for the next event, so it’s pretty crucial to have a good car. And we’ll keep chipping away for sure.”
The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship shifts into enduro mode at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 from September 13-15. Tickets for the 60th anniversary event are on sale now.
