Supercars star Chaz Mostert says it's up to his team to raise their game to compete with DJR Team Penske pair Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard.
Coulthard led home McLaughlin in Friday's night race in Perth for DJR's fifth one-two finish of 2019 in just 11 races.
The result means McLaughlin is 112 points clear of Coulthard in the championship standings with Mostert the nearest challenger to the pair in third a further 140 points back.
The Tickford Racing driver got the jump on McLaughlin at the start of Friday's race when the New Zealand was slow off the line but Mostert quickly knew he couldn't stop the defending champion.
"The guys next to us are in a bit of a league of their own," Mostert said of the Penske pair.
"I got a good start ... but you know, jeez, Scotty was terrorising my mirrors on that first lap or two. I really had nothing for him."
It may seem the rest of the field are just racing for third place in 2019 such is DJR's dominance but Mostert says it is up to his team to raise to the challenge rather than just accept it.
"We've just got to keep moving forward," the 2014 Bathurst winner said.
"If we've got a bit more for these guys a bit later in the year, only time will tell, but we'll definitely be trying back at the workshop."
The Perth event wraps up on Saturday with a longer 83-lap race in the evening.
Friday's performance suggests aerodynamic changes forced upon the Ford Mustang after testing revealed a parity discrepancy had done little to the car's performance.
McLaughlin however said the newly resurfaced Perth track was offering so much grip to drivers and preventing tyre degradation that it would be impossible to tell what impact the changes will have until they go to other venues.
"You don't know whether it has or not," McLaughlin said.
"I can't tell the difference between the two.
"We've just got to fight on with what we've got each race."
Saturday's race is scheduled to start at 6.45pm (2045 AEST).
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