Mostert, Porsches take the stage on Friday
Friday, 8 April 2022
Brilliant racing under blue skies at Albert Park.
In front of the record Friday crowd, the drivers and teams battling out the support categories at the Formula 1® Heineken® Australian Grand Prix 2022 have put on a thrilling display of high-speed racing.
Chaz Mostert was the man to beat in the first of four Supercars races over the weekend, the Optus/Walkinshaw Andretti United Holden driver taking a 2.7s win over poleman David Reynolds (Penrite/Grove Racing Ford).
“Any time you win in this category is amazing,” Mostert said.
“The car’s getting faster and faster. After [a tough weekend in] Tassie, it’s good to get a trophy for the guys and girls at WAU.”
The talking point of the race was the charge from Shane van Gisbergen, who went from 25th and last on the grid to third, managing his tyres better than any other driver in the 20-lap race.
“I knew it was going to be tough starting at the back,” he smiled after his epic charge.
“I tried to think like a backmarker and do the opposite, but they all started on Softs [tyres] back there.”
Many of the contenders, including both Shell V-Power Fords of Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison, suffered severe tyre problems, dropping them down the field. Teams will be working overtime during the night to find a solution for the tyre challenges on the newly-resurfaced Albert Park circuit.
The newest Porsches in the country fought out two classic Carrera Cup races, with youngsters Aaron Love and Max Vidau to the fore in both races, ahead of veteran David Wall.
The evening race was cut short after a number of crashes, one of which took out the favoured entry of Dale Wood.
In the booming S5000 open-wheelers, young guns Joey Mawson and Aaron Cameron fought out a close finish, with Mawson taking the win. Zane Goddard took out third place, just ahead of Nathan Herne.
The support races continue on Saturday, with two Supercars races and one for each of the other classes.
