Another podium for Chaz Mostert on the streets of Surfers Paradise, while Ryan Wood misses out on securing a spot in the semi-finals by the narrowest of margins.

It was a wet start to the day, with both drivers putting together impressive qualifying performances to secure their spots in the Top 10 Shootout.

Ryan was the first out in the shootout, putting together a solid lap in the wettest conditions of the session to secure P5. Over on the other side of the garage, Chaz took an aggressive approach as the track began to dry. Unfortunately, he asked a little too much of the grip available, running wide in the first sector, dropping 0.8 seconds, lining up P9 for the race.

Race 32

Chaz Mostert: 3rd
Ryan Wood: 4th

Both drivers got off to a strong start, with Ryan maintaining his position off the line and Chaz charging through to P6, slotting in behind his teammate to pay the role of personal security guard for the opening laps.

An early Safety Car bunched up the field, and with the Mobil 1 Optus Racing No. 1 showing strong pace, the crew decided it was time to shake and bake. A strategic position swap allwed Chaz to attack the cars ahead, with Ryan following closely behind to make gains with him.

When Brodie Kostecki, running in P4 pitted, Chaz followed him into the lane the following lap, aiming to undercut Kostecki and make it harder for him to gain ground over Ryan. Unfortunately, a pit gun failure resulted in a slower than planned stop. The silver lining? With a healthy amount of fuel added, the team has less fuel to deliver on the final stop.

On lap 26, the Mobil 1 Truck Assist Racing No. 2 made a critical pass on Cameron, moving Ryan into to effective P4. It gave him clear air ahead, so he put his head down and foot to the floor.

Ryan made his first stop on lap 30, with a lightning quick stop from the crew, sending him back into the race with another pocket of clear air between Chaz and Hughes.

Through the middle stint, Chaz and Ryan continued to work as great teammates, shaking and baking their way past Brown and closing the gap to the leaders.

Whilst the battle on track was heating up, the fight for a spot in the semi finals was just as intense. It came down to a three point margin between Ryan and Anton DePasquale with 10 laps to go, with Ryan sitting in P3 and DePasquale in P17. The points were in favour of Ryan, but there was still work to do.

Unfortunately, with a few laps remaining, two cars that had short-filled were forced to pit to make it to the finish. The resulting points swing gave Anton enough points that he needed to claim the semi-final spot, leaving Ryan agonisingly close.

With five laps to go, Ryan handed third position back to Chaz, who went on to collect another trophy on the streets of Surfers Paradise.

While the final result wasn’t quite what we were chasing for Car 2, we couldn’t be prouder of the effort shown by every single person in our garage this weekend.

Our focus now shifts to Sandown in less than two weeks, where Chaz will battle it out for a place in final four in Adelaide, bring it on.

Chaz Mostert

“Saturday was a dream come true to win the race and get our ticket to the semi finals.

“The car has been unbelievable, to get two surfboards after such a tough week has been unreal for the whole team here at track but also back at the workshop.

“I made a meal of the Top 10 today which made our race really hard but our dry car was just as amazing as our wet car. So, I am just a little bit gutted because we had the fastest car but didn’t get the win, an awesome recovery to get a podium in the end.”

Ryan Wood

“I just can’t thank this team enough, they gave it absolutely everything they could today, I’m gutted we’re not through the semi’s but its not from a lack of trying.

“Today is one of those days that will sting for a while but we didn’t give up and we showed our grit and determination. That’s a credit to our team for the hard work they have put in even after our really tough Bathurst.

“Cool to see Car 1 get through to the semi finals, they had awesome pace all weekend and a massive thanks to them for trying their upmost to get me through.”