Ford has swept the rostrum positions within the two opening Supercars races at Taupo Motorsport Park in New Zealand.
Matt Payne and Chas Mostert took their Ford Mustangs to victory lane within the races, leaving the Chevrolet Camaro drivers of their wake.
On the tender tyre, versus the supersoft in use on the monitor for the primary time, Payne led away from pole within the opening race and by no means appeared again.
One important takeaway from Payne’s win – aside for the three-second margin of victory – was how Grove Racing handled an early security automobile interval. When many of the pack filed into the pitlane to make their necessary pitstops, and a few drivers had been compelled to stack behind their team-mates, Payne was waved round, taking his cease a lap later.
What was obvious was that Grove administration was throughout the brand new regulation that required the drivers to stay to the identical 80km/h restrict as the protection automobile.
One of many drivers who could have had the velocity to problem the chief, Brodie Kostecki, was trapped in his Dick Johnson Racing pit bay for 10s, dropping him nicely down the leaderboard.
The order behind Payne was Cam Waters, who in ending second seized again the championship factors lead, forward of a maiden podium for Ryan Wooden (Walkinshaw Andretti United) and Anton De Pasquale (Group 18 Chevrolet).
Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford Mustang GT
Photograph by: Edge Photographics
Mostert and Kostecki then fought laborious for the win within the second race, swapping place and a few paint till Mostert obtained the higher hand, as Kostecki light late within the race. The staff suspected bent steering and in reality, because the 2023 champion slowed, he dropped to 3rd place on the flag, dropping the place to DJR team-mate Will Davison.
It was an oddly podium-less day for Triple 8, with each Will Brown and Broc Feeney struggling in Friday apply and neither Chevrolet difficult for the rostrum in both race. Neither driver made the highest 10 in qualifying for the opener and Brown needed to accept fifth and seventh within the two races. Feeney had no velocity within the opening race and was fifteenth however improved to fifth place within the afternoon after beginning third.
After a robust Saturday, Waters has taken again the championship factors lead from Brown, 573 to 561, with Feeney dropping some floor. Payne has moved to fourth place.
Supercars might be again in motion on Sunday, with a single race on the tougher of Dunlop’s tyres over 61 laps.
On this article
Phil Branagan
Supercars
Chaz Mostert
Matthew Payne
Walkinshaw Andretti United
Grove Racing
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