CHAZ MOSTERT AND STEVE OWEN TRIUMPH ON THE GOLD COAST

Chaz Mostert and Steve Owen win the opening leg of the Gold Coast 600 – Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

A superb restart from Chaz Mostert has given he and co-driver Steve Owen a comfortable victory in the first leg of the Gold Coast 600.

Mostert finished 2.416s ahead of teammates Cameron Waters and Richie Stanaway, who headed Tim Slade and Andre Heimgartner in the BJR Freightliner Commodore.

Despite the red flag being brought just before Mostert crossed the line to complete his fastest lap, the Supercheap Auto Racing PRA Ford Falcon started from Pole alongside the pace setters from yesterday, Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell.

Owen won the start in inclement conditions holding off Dumbrell and Heimgartner. The best of starts was made by was made Bathurst 1000 victor Luke Youlden, however the race for the #9 Erebus car was thwart with difficulty.

Heimgartner was racy and when Dumbrell was run wide by Owen in the Turn 12 and 13 complex, he made his move and seized second, then a lap later snatched the lead at Turn 11.

From there Heimgartner dominated, edging over 4s clear in the first lap adding another 4s to margin the next. Starring again was Garry Jacobson, who charged from 23rd to sixth before being the first to pit on lap 16. His PRA teammate, Stanaway was also content in the conditions and moved from 14th to third.

Contact between Dumbrell and Owen at Turn 1 on lap 28 dropped hurt Owen, but was a gain for Stanaway, who passed his countryman until the BJR car came in on lap 28, Slade taking over.

There was a near disaster for the PRA crew when Mark Winterbottom left his pit bay as Mostert drove past, which led to minor contact and a pit lane penalty for the #5. Slade still led comfortably until a Safety car was required to retrieve a tyre bundle on lap 56.

Podium celebrations at the end of the first 300k’s of the Gold Coast 600 – Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

This is when the race changed, Slade pitted and the right rear took longer to put in thanks to the angle of his car in pit lane and crucially dropped him to third. Waters took the lead ahead of Mostert, but a perfect restart from Mostert allowed him to move through on the inside of Waters to take a lead he carried to the flag.

Waters sat a comfortable second and despite dropping off the pace later in the race, Slade took third.

It was a poor race for DJR Team Penske, with both cars failing to finish in the top 10. Alex Premat’s opening stint was troubled when he clipped the wall at Turn 2 then spun at Turn 11 and McLaughlin was unable to make it up in his stints finishing in 12th.

Coulthard crossed the line 10th, but was penalised 15s after contact with Nick Percat.

Tomorrow’s action starts at 9:45am local time with Qualifying followed later on by the Top Ten Shootout and the second leg of the Gold Coast 600.

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