Mostert outmuscles Kostecki in Taupō battle for the ages

Chaz Mostert has outmuscled Brodie Kostecki in a battle for the ages to claim his first win of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship at the ITM Taupō Super 440.

Mostert required all 357 races of his Supercars experience to climb over Kostecki, who after losing his pole advantage, made sure his Ford rival didn't have an easy path to victory No. 25 in Supercars.

While the winning margin flattered Mostert, the battle was a reminder of both drivers' skill and guile, with Mostert ultimately becoming the sixth different winner in as many races.

Kostecki came home third behind Shell V-Power Racing Team teammate Will Davison in what was another all-Ford podium, with Race 8 winner Matt Payne recovering from a penalty to finish fourth.

Will Brown battled to sixth behind teammate Broc Feeney, but with Cam Waters only 14th, the championship lead changed hands for the third time in as many races.

Heading into Sunday, Brown takes a 12-point lead over Waters, with Feeney 73 points behind.

The start of the race didn't go Kostecki's way, with the pole man spinning the wheels and letting Mostert off the hook. Such was Kostecki's start, that Feeney fired down the inside, only for the #38 Jet Couriers Ford to hang tough around Turn 2.

Behind them, Payne was adjudged to have jumped the start, and was handed a five-second penalty. Waters dropped from sixth to eighth, while the field was split in two after David Reynolds turned Cooper Murray at Turn 7. However, with Murray closing the door and Reynolds pulling off a redress, no investigation was deemed necessary.

On lap 5, the margin between Mostert and Kostecki breached one second, with Davison hounding Brown for fourth. On lap 9, Davison got down the inside through the hairpin, and completed the move before the braking zone.

Brown's struggles continued, sliding out of fifth place on the following lap behind Payne. The reigning champion remonstrated over the radio as Randle, Waters and Anton De Pasquale honed in. All the while, Mostert had opened up a three-second lead.

As Brown held up the pack, Waters checked up at the hairpin, allowing De Pasquale by. As Richie Stanaway fought past the points leader, De Pasquale picked off Randle before forcing Brown into a mistake. Randle cleared Brown, who was burgled by Waters and Andre Heimgartner in a three-wide before being taken out of the battle.

Like his teammate, Feeney began to slide, and let Davison through for third on lap 16 at the hairpin. Payne then pounced at Turn 1. At the front, Kostecki slashed Mostert's lead, and was right behind the #25 Mobil 1 Optus Ford on lap 18. At Turn 5, Kostecki made his move, clearing Mostert with an audacious pass.

The two Ford stopped on the following lap, Kostecki emerging just ahead. In a stunning sequence of events, replays emerged of Kostecki sliding into the barriers at pit entry. After they emerged, Mostert fired down the inside at Turn 4, and reclaimed the lead.

With all stops complete, Mostert led Kostecki, with Feeney, Davison, two-tyre stopping Stanaway, Brown, Thomas Randle, Payne, Ryan Wood and Bryce Fullwood the 10. As Stanaway began to fall down the order, Waters found himself 13th, and at risk of ceding the points lead.

Kostecki had another huge crack at Mostert with 16 laps to go, first hitting the #25 Ford at Turn 1 before bowling a wide at Turn 4. Mostert got back down the inside, and escorted the #38 Mustang wide. It seemingly gave Mostert the break he needed, the margin blowing out to 2.2s with 10 laps to go.

Brown's tyre struggles again presented themselves. With nine to go, Payne cleared Brown for fifth. It was a different story for Feeney, who along with Davison, benefited from an error by Kostecki at Turn 1 to move up a spot.

With three laps to go, Feeney was unable to keep Davison behind, with Kostecki keeping pace behind. On the penultimate lap, Kostecki forced Feeney into a mistake at Turn 4, with Payne quickly joining the party. The Race 8 winner had the move done before the chicane, Feeney dropping from second to fifth.

It mattered little to Mostert, who after being sent into a spin in the day's first race, cantered to his first Supercars win in New Zealand by 6.4763s.

It was a hard luck for De Pasquale, who after a botched pit stop, crawled home in 20th.

Supercars will return to the track on Sunday at 10:35am NZST/8:35am AEST with Boost Mobile Qualifying.