AutoAction
FREE DIGITAL MAGAZINE SIGN UP

Kostecki and Hazelwood win AirTouch 500 at The Bend

Kostecki wins Bend 500

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 14 September 2025

Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood have done it again after the now DJR duo held off Cam Waters in the first-ever AirTouch 500 at The Bend.

The inaugural 500 at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park proved to be a slow burn, but it still delivered a tense finish with Kostecki and Waters in close combat.

After strong starts from Hazelwood and Mark Winterbottom, the two Mustangs emerged well clear of the rest and no more than 3s covered them across the final 20 laps.

Despite the Monster Mustang creeping closer to create a tense run home, Kostecki always had his rival covered to give himself and Hazelwood another enduro victory and first in DJR colours by 3s.

Waters ultimately had to settle for a close second, denying Winterbottom a fairytale return to Tickford.

It was an all-Ford podium as Matt Payne and Garth Tander secured a lonely third.

Will Brown and Scott Pye rose 12 spots to fourth to give Triple Eight something to cheer about after pole-sitters Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup were restricted to after a tough day full of fuel issues and offs.

First half race report HERE

Having gained track position from the nine-lap undercut, out-of-sync Mostert tightened his grip on the race, growing his lead to beyond 5s over Kostecki and Waters.

The #25 WAU Mustang stayed in control until Lap 61 when Mostert needed a refill.

This released Kostecki and Waters with only a second between them in the genuine battle for the lead.

Further back, Turn 8 remained a hot spot with Whincup spearing off for a second time, with Golding following him.

Triple Eight called in the #88 and handed it over to Feeney, who had a mountain to climb from a distant 25th.

The race settled into a holding pattern across the third quarter with Kostecki and Waters locked together.

One of the standout drives was from rookie Stewart, who was given the daunting task of fighting against the main drivers.

He impressively held his own, keeping a firm grip on eighth ahead of Hill and De Pasquale.

Things were waiting until the final chain of stops and the leaders blinked on Lap 75.

Having reduced the margin down to six-tenths, Tickford went for the undercut.

Waters boxed a lap earlier than Kostecki, but the move did not pay off with the DJR driver’s advantage growing by exactly 2s.

However, the Monster Mustang was on with fresher tyres and needed just five laps to reel in the leader.

Waters thought about having a look at the start of Lap 79, but backed out as the DJR driver held firm, keeping the #6 half a second back.

This forced things to simmer until it would reach the boiling point later on with Kostecki rebuilding the advantage back to 1.5s.

Meanwhile, Mostert waited until Lap 82 to complete his final stop and rejoined down in 15th and immediately went purple as he charged back towards the top 10.

He did it with ease as he soared past Hill before reeling in De Pasquale in quick time to shoot to eighth.

Randle ended up being Mostert’s final victim, snaring eighth with three laps to go.

With the race staying green, Payne was driving a lonely race in third, while Brown was able to jump Percat and climb to fourth.

Following Stewart’s good work, Murray went on the attack in seventh, hunting down Wood in the closing laps.

After the lead ballooned out close to 2s, Waters threatened to bring it back to single figures, but never quite got close enough.

There was a change in the Finals race due to Heimgartner and Fraser finishing last, three laps down.

The Kiwi fell out of the top 10 in the championship, promoting Wood, Randle and Allen.

This will no doubt heat up as all eyes turn to Mount Panorama for the big one with Bathurst Day on October 12.

Results Race 26 The Bend 102 Laps

Pos Driver Team Laps Margin

1 Brodie Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood DJR 102 3:15:50.1972 +2

2 Cameron Waters/Mark Winterbottom Tickford 102 +3.0181 +2

3 Matt Payne/Garth Tander Grove Racing 102 +7.6515 +3

4 Will Brown/Scott Pye Triple Eight 102 +14.5381 +12

5 Nick Percat/Tim Slade MSR 102 +26.8406 –

6 Ryan Wood/Jayden Ojeda WAU 102 +27.2882 +4

7 Cooper Murray/Jobe Stewart Erebus 102 +29.0786 +2

8 Chaz Mostert/Fabian Coulthard WAU 102 +32.0063 –

9 Thomas Randle/James Moffat Tickford 102 +32.8146 -4

10 Anton De Pasquale/Harri Jones Team 18 102 +33.6740 -3

11 Cameron Hill/Cameron McLeod MSR 102 +34.0466 -9

12 Jack Le Brocq/Jarrod Hughes Erebus 102 +40.7263 +1

13 David Reynolds/Lee Holdsworth Team 18 102 +46.5738 -1

14 Macauley Jones/Jordan Boys BJR 102 +1:04.1579 +6

15 Kai Allen/Dale Wood Grove Racing 102 +1:06.7540 +8

16 Zach Bates/Craig Lowndes Triple Eight 102 +1:13.6154 +10

17 James Courtney/Jack Perkins BRT 102 +1:16.1193 –

18 Jaxon Evans/Jack Smith BJR 102 +1:18.6568 -3

19 Broc Feeney/Jamie Whincup Triple Eight 102 +1:20.2130 -18

20 Bryce Fullwood/Brad Vaughan BJR 102 +1:24.6967 +5

21 Will Davison/Tony D’Alberto DJR 102 +1:26.3856 –

22 Rylan Gray/Lochie Dalton Tickford 102 +1:32.0825 +5

23 Richie Stanaway/Nash Morris PremiAir 102 +1:32.9878 -4

24 Aaron Cameron/Zak Best BRT 102 +1:33.4275 -6

25 James Golding/David Russell PremiAir 102 +1:42.2813 -3

26 Cameron Crick/Aaron Seton MSR 100 +2 Laps -2

27 Andre Heimgartner/Declan Fraser BJR 98 +4 Laps -13

Image: Peter Norton

Practice 1: 1: A. Cameron/Z. Best 1:50.0617 2: T. Randle/Z. Best +0.0283 3: B. Kostecki/T. Hazelwood +0.3358

Practice 2: 1: Jamie Whincup 1:50.5875 2: Todd Hazelwood +0.2082 3: Dale Wood +0.3248

Practice 3: 1: Will Brown 1:48.9957 2: Broc Feeney +0.3210 3: Thomas Randle +0.3837

Practice 4: 1 James Moffat 1:50.7387 2 Lee Holdsworth +0.1864 3 Rylan Gray +0.2128

Practice 5: 1 Ryan Wood 1:49.2867 2 Brodie Kostecki +0.0272 3 Broc Feeney +0.0584

Qualifying: 1 Brodie Kostecki 1:49.3947 2 Broc Feeney +0.0081 3 Cameron Waters +0.0628

Top 10 Shootout: 1 Broc Feeney 1:48.6548 2 Cameron Hill +0.1023 3 Brodie Kostecki +0.1286

Warm Up: Sunday 9.30-9.50

Race 26: Sunday 13.45-17.18 102 laps

Read the new issue of Auto Action Digital HERE

Buy the new issue of Auto Action Premium HERE

Don’t forget the print edition of Auto Action available via subscription here or you can purchase a copy of the latest issue from one of our outlets here.

Shares

Recent Stories

array (
  0 => 
  WP_Term::__set_state(array(
     'term_id' => 11,
     'name' => 'Latest News',
     'slug' => 'latest-news',
     'term_group' => 0,
     'term_taxonomy_id' => 11,
     'taxonomy' => 'category',
     'description' => '',
     'parent' => 0,
     'count' => 16746,
     'filter' => 'raw',
     'cat_ID' => 11,
     'category_count' => 16746,
     'category_description' => '',
     'cat_name' => 'Latest News',
     'category_nicename' => 'latest-news',
     'category_parent' => 0,
  )),
  1 => 
  WP_Term::__set_state(array(
     'term_id' => 38,
     'name' => 'Supercars',
     'slug' => 'supercars',
     'term_group' => 0,
     'term_taxonomy_id' => 38,
     'taxonomy' => 'category',
     'description' => 'The Supercars Championship, currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship, is the premier motorsport category in Australasia and one of Australia\'s biggest sports. It originated from the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), which held its first race in 1960 at Gnoo-Blas in Orange, New South Wales. The ATCC evolved over the years, and in 1997, it was rebranded as the V8 Supercars Championship, eventually becoming the Supercars Championship we know today.

Some of the leading drivers in the history of the Supercars Championship include Peter Brock, who is often referred to as the "King of the Mountain" for his nine victories at the Bathurst 1000, a race that is considered one of the biggest in the series. Other notable drivers include Dick Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, who holds the record for the most championship titles, and Mark Skaife, who has also been a dominant force in the series.

The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, is arguably the most famous race in the Supercars calendar. Other significant races include the Sandown 500 and the Adelaide 500, which are known for their challenging circuits and thrilling competitions.

The Supercars Championship has grown to become a globally recognized series, known for its competitive racing and passionate fan base. It continues to be a major part of Australia\'s motorsport culture, attracting top drivers and teams from around the world.',
     'parent' => 0,
     'count' => 5607,
     'filter' => 'raw',
     'cat_ID' => 38,
     'category_count' => 5607,
     'category_description' => 'The Supercars Championship, currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship, is the premier motorsport category in Australasia and one of Australia\'s biggest sports. It originated from the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), which held its first race in 1960 at Gnoo-Blas in Orange, New South Wales. The ATCC evolved over the years, and in 1997, it was rebranded as the V8 Supercars Championship, eventually becoming the Supercars Championship we know today.

Some of the leading drivers in the history of the Supercars Championship include Peter Brock, who is often referred to as the "King of the Mountain" for his nine victories at the Bathurst 1000, a race that is considered one of the biggest in the series. Other notable drivers include Dick Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, who holds the record for the most championship titles, and Mark Skaife, who has also been a dominant force in the series.

The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, is arguably the most famous race in the Supercars calendar. Other significant races include the Sandown 500 and the Adelaide 500, which are known for their challenging circuits and thrilling competitions.

The Supercars Championship has grown to become a globally recognized series, known for its competitive racing and passionate fan base. It continues to be a major part of Australia\'s motorsport culture, attracting top drivers and teams from around the world.',
     'cat_name' => 'Supercars',
     'category_nicename' => 'supercars',
     'category_parent' => 0,
  )),
  2 => 
  WP_Term::__set_state(array(
     'term_id' => 2029,
     'name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
     'slug' => 'email',
     'term_group' => 0,
     'term_taxonomy_id' => 2029,
     'taxonomy' => 'category',
     'description' => '',
     'parent' => 2031,
     'count' => 7303,
     'filter' => 'raw',
     'cat_ID' => 2029,
     'category_count' => 7303,
     'category_description' => '',
     'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
     'category_nicename' => 'email',
     'category_parent' => 2031,
  )),
  3 => 
  WP_Term::__set_state(array(
     'term_id' => 2031,
     'name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
     'slug' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
     'term_group' => 0,
     'term_taxonomy_id' => 2031,
     'taxonomy' => 'category',
     'description' => '',
     'parent' => 0,
     'count' => 6658,
     'filter' => 'raw',
     'cat_ID' => 2031,
     'category_count' => 6658,
     'category_description' => '',
     'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
     'category_nicename' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
     'category_parent' => 0,
  )),
)
101124
Symphony of Motorsport at the 2025 Bathurst launch

Bathurst launch strikes the right note

Bathurst always stirs the soul, but the official 2025 launch lifted it to another level. Sydney’s historic ballroom, a venue better known for political triumphs than pit lane drama, became […]

Jess Yeates Mark Skaife Garth Tander TV Perth

Supercars sticks with Fox and Seven in ‘record-breaking’ deal

The status quo will remain with Seven and Fox Sports to continue showing Supercars after a new TV deal was signed. Starting in 2026, the new TV deal will ensure […]

The Bend 500 is here to stay

The AirTouch 500 at The Bend will remain at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park for the future, with a new deal announced on the eve of its anticipated debut. This weekend, […]

Toyota Supra revealed

First look: Toyota GR Supra Supercar

Almost a year in the making, the first Toyota GR Supra Supercar has arrived and will make its anticipated on-track debut at Bathurst. The Gen3 Supra was officially unveiled for […]