He's playing it cool but Ford star Chaz Mostert is quickly closing in on his Supercars championship rivals as the season nears its end.
Mostert moved within 121 points of championship leader Fabian Coulthard with victory in a rain-marred 94-lap race on the Gold Coast on Saturday.
It means the Prodrive Racing Australia (PRA) star, who also now leads the Endurance Cup standings with one race left in that competition, is now firmly in the title hunt on a day his rivals endured mixed results.
It was a good day all round for the PRA team, with Cam Waters and Richie Stanaway climbing from 14th on the starting grid to finish second.
Brad Jones Racing pair Tim Slade and Andrew Heimgartner finished third despite a costly pit blunder that destroyed the 20-second lead Heimgartner had built up in his impressive opening stint.
"Momentum in this sport is everything really," Mostert said.
"Every time you get a result it builds on that comfort thing of being at the front of the field or doing the job you need to do.
"Obviously for us, keeping a consistent package or doing those little improvements you need to do, goes a long way as well."
Mostert was fuming in the pits when co-driver Steve Owen's solid drive was derailed by a shunt from Holden's Paul Dumbrell - paired with championship rival Jamie Whincup.
Dumbrell was given a 15-second penalty for the contact - a punishment Mostert felt was inadequate - before Whincup steered his Red Bull Racing Commodore home for a sixth-place finish to move within 37 points of Coulthard.
The DJR Team Penske driver had a day to forget at Surfers, having to settle for a 19th-place finish after he was penalised for a late contact on Holden's Nick Percat.
His teammate Scott McLaughlin remains third on the championship ladder after finishing 12th, 76 points behind Coulthard.
The title race is also on for defending series champion Shane Van Gisbergen who finished fourth and is just 217 points off the championship lead with just five races remaining in this year's championship.
The Gold Coast 600 wraps up on Sunday with another 300km race.
Share
