Tickford dominates, Kostecki rediscovers his charm, there will be no full-time Frosty in 2025

The timeless adage of sun, surf and supercars was once again on display at the Gold Coast 500 event, as the decisive period of the 2024 championship is just around the corner and there is only one event left beyond this one.

From the current driver market news to Tickford’s dominance and the many gremlins that followed multiple competitors over the weekend, here are the Gold Coast 500 talking points.

Tickford dominates on Saturday

It was a victory for Cameron Waters in Saturday’s race 21 at the Surfer’s Paradise street circuit, dominating the 85-lap race from pole position ahead of teammate Thomas Randle.

9.4 seconds was the margin between the Monster Energy Mustang and its Castrol Mustang sibling at the end of the 250km course, with Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Broc Feeney taking a crucial third place in his quest for a
inaugural championship.

Cameron waters. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

Waters nailed the start, with front row teammate Richie Stanaway immediately under pressure from Chaz Mostert and having to continue running straight into the first chicane. The Kiwi’s lack of balance meant it wasn’t long before he succumbed to the likes of Mostert and James Golding.

Even though Stanaway with the cork in the bottle was out of the way, Waters’ pace in the first stint was better than even Mostert, whose Mobil 1 Optus Mustang was quick, although hampered by a technical gremlin throughout the race. .

After the first round of stops, Randle pulled out behind his race-leading teammate and Waters’ engineer Sam Potter advised his driver “not to slow Randle down,” leading the 30-year-old just speed up the pace. and shoot down the road.

Mostert returned to Randle on lap 53, retaking second place as Waters was more than four seconds ahead, although a technical issue affecting the gears in the two-time Bathurst winner’s car meant he lost any chance of a podium finish in the race. second stop.

On lap 56, Feeney overtook his immediate rivals, bringing him into the fight for the podium. Waters pitted on lap 65 and had a massive 11.5-second lead over Randle heading into the final stint.

Kostecki rediscovers his charm after Bathurst victory

It’s been great to see the discussion around Brodie Kostecki’s on-track performances, after the defending champion and Erebus Motorsport’s tumultuous start to 2024. From the sensational dominance of the Bathurst 1000 with Todd Hazelwood, to now a start to finish victory in Race 22.

Kostecki took pole position through the Top-Ten Shootout and then led the first portion of Sunday’s 85-lap race. His former teammate Brown in the Red Bull Ampol Camaro got off to a better start, but the reigning Bathurst 1000 winner dominated the field into the first chicane.

An incident on the first lap at Turn 11 brought about the only Safety Car of the weekend, with Brown behind Kostecki and Mostert chasing the championship leader. Unfortunately, the Mobil 1 Optus Mustang was knocked out of contention due to another pit lane drama: this time the fuel pad.

This elevated Feeney into the top three, with the possibility of another podium for the 22-year-old. However, with teammate Brown finishing ahead of him, the crucial points went in favor of the championship leader.

The 180-point lead Brown has over Feeney now means they are the only two drivers mathematically in the hunt for their first title. For Brown, if he maintains a 150-point lead over his teammate after Saturday in Adelaide, he will be champion.

A second victory of the year for Erebus also strengthens them further in the teams championship, where they are fighting for fifth place with the Shell V-Power team. Tickford’s brace on Saturday bolstered their chances of finishing second behind Red Bull, with a 337-point margin over Walkinshaw Andretti United.

Pixies of the Gold Coast

Following Race 21 on Saturday, it was the first time in 45 races at the Gold Coast circuit that all drivers qualified at the end of the 85-lap race. There were also no abandonments or major incidents that led to the Safety Car.

However, there were plenty of leprechauns that fell on some of the key contenders, especially Mostert, whose dismal weekend left him completely eliminated from championship contention.

A problem with the gear sensor affected the 32-year-old on Saturday and ultimately cost him a possible podium finish. Mostert lost a lot of time in the pits, unable to meet the minimum pit speed.

Things got worse on Sunday, when a mistake by WAU with its fuel equipment meant Mostert had to make a third pit stop, but also drew the ire of race control who were investigating the team for using incorrect equipment.

While Brown will enter the Adelaide 500 in a dominant championship position, Saturday was not ideal for the leader of the standings. Crashing in qualifying for race 21 and returning to seventh place after getting stuck behind David Reynolds.

Sandown 500 podium finisher Golding had to rue a cross-threaded wheel nut on the left rear on his first pit stop in Race 21 as well. The fast pace of the PremiAir Racing driver was left unfulfilled with a podium that was paltry.

Sunday saw more of the usual on-track chaos, with a Safety Car intervention early in the process following a multi-car incident at Turn 11. Stanaway, attempting to pass De Pasquale, sent rookie Ryan Wood into the barriers. , and then Shell V-Power Mustang James Courtney spun the concrete barrier.

Frosty will not drive full time in 2025

2015 Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom announced via an emotional video on social media ahead of the Gold Coast event that he would not be driving full-time in the series next year.

(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

The 43-year-old’s future had been the subject of speculation, as his current team 18 decided not to renew Frosty’s contract for the future and instead signed Anton De Pasquale, with an announcement that barely acknowledged its outgoing driver. .

“However, things don’t always go your way in life, but life is about looking forward and that’s what I plan to do,” Winterbottom carefully said in his announcement, clearly hinting at a co-pilot role for the next anus.

Winterbottom has spent 21 years as a full-time Supercars driver, debuting for Mark Larkham’s eponymous team before becoming a Blue Oval stalwart in FPR for almost a decade.

He notched 41 wins along the way, ranking eighth all-time in the championship behind the legendary Peter Brock, as well as a maiden title in 2015 and a win at Bathurst in 2013 alongside Steven Richards.

Since switching to Team 18 in 2019, Frosty’s run of success has been slim, largely due to the formative nature of the Charlie Schwerkolt-owned team, although six years as a Holden/Chevrolet driver should have produced more than just a solitary victory and a couple of podiums.

The co-pilot market is growing

Frosty’s availability now adds another hot target to the co-driver market for 2025, with the likes of reigning Bathurst winner Tim Slade, Hazelwood and co all eyeing prime seats.

The rosy vision for Winterbottom is clearly that he needs to rejoin a Ford team, reunite with
the Blue Oval for whom much of his career was synonymous. That may also be the case, with Tickford’s return to the organization being touted.

Slade and Hazelwood could also be targets for DJR, who will lose Kai Allen for his full-time debut with Grove Racing and will need a partner to replace De Pasquale in Kostecki.

There is track record for Slade at DJR, having co-driven with three-time champion Scott McLaughlin in 2020, while he maintains the winning combination of Hazelwood-Kostecki Bathurst could be an irresistible prospect for the Shell V-Power team.

Elsewhere, there could be changes at WAU following a difficult enduro season for 2021 Bathurst winner Lee Holdsworth partnering Mostert. The likes of Jayden Ojeda, who impressed alongside Jack Le Brocq at Erebus, could be a contender there, showing off his race form with his impressive global GT3 racing calendar.

Where there will be no changes is at Grove Racing, with Garth Tander signed as co-driver and mentor, as well as the Red Bull Ampol Racing team, which saw Scott Pye impress alongside Brown and seven-time Supercars. Champion Jamie Whincup doesn’t seem ready to give up that role alongside Feeney.