Cam Waters led a parade of Ford Mustangs to victory in the first of three Supercars races at the Reid Park street circuit in Townsville, Queensland.
In an emotional battle, Waters and Brodie Kostecki, driver of Dick Johnson Racing, reached the final lap of the 35-lap race together. Ultimately, Kostecki, who had excelled in the closing laps, could not stop Waters from escaping.
Kostecki started from pole for the fifth time this season, but lost positions at the start. Waters and Matt Payne, from Grove Racing, immediately passed him. However, Kostecki soon regained his pace and settled into second place before the first round of pit stops.
Waters pitted on lap 18, while Kostecki chose to stay on track for six more laps. The result was that Waters extended his lead, with Payne positioned in second when Kostecki rejoined the competition.
With a DJR Mustang in a special yellow livery for the occasion, Kostecki attempted to find a way past Payne, but Waters secured victory with just 0.200 seconds advantage. ‘It was exciting managing the last part of the race, knowing that he [Kostecki] was behind me. I’m glad there wasn’t another lap,’ commented Waters after his victory.
Kostecki revealed that he decided to make his stop after seeing Waters enter the pit area. ‘I didn’t want to pit behind Cam. I think we’re in a good position for tomorrow,’ expressed the Dick Johnson Racing driver.
Matt Payne, after marking his 11th podium of the season, was satisfied despite not having a car in perfect condition. ‘I suffered a vibration at the start, but I was able to finish the race. It would have been interesting if Kostecki had had a lap or two more to pressure Waters,’ he commented.
Kai Allen, Payne’s teammate, finished fourth after losing a position during the stops, while Chaz Mostert ended up fifth, despite having minor engine issues during qualifying.
One of the best performances came from Thomas Randle of Tickford, who finished sixth after losing much of his practice session due to a technical problem. The driver showed great skill to avoid issues during the 35 laps.
On the other hand, the Triple Eight drivers, Broc Feeney and Will Brown, had a challenging Friday with low qualifying positions. However, Brown demonstrated his overtaking ability, finishing seventh, while Feeney scored a tenth place, passing several rivals during the race.
With two 200 km races scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, interest in seeing how the competition unfolds increases, especially now that Payne holds the top spot in the championship.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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