The timeless adage of sun, surf and Supercars was on display once again at the Gold Coast 500; because the clutch period of the 2024 championship is approaching and there is only one event left beyond that.

From ongoing driver market news to Tickford dominance and the many gremlins that plagued many rivals over the weekend – here’s the talking points from the Gold Coast 500.

Tickford emerged victorious on Saturday

It was a flash to victory as Cameron Waters dominated the 85-lap race from pole position ahead of teammate Thomas Randle in Saturday’s Race 21 at the Surfer’s Paradise street circuit.

At the end of the challenging 250 km track, the gap between the Monster Energy Mustang and its sister Castrol Mustang was 9.4 seconds, and Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Broc Feeney took an important third place in his quest for the championship.
maiden championship.

Cameron Waters. (Photo: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

Waters nailed the start as his front row mate Richie Stanaway was immediately under pressure from Chaz Mostert and had to run straight into the first chicane. The Kiwi’s instability meant it wouldn’t be long before he was beaten by the likes of Mostert and James Golding.

Cork in the bottle Even with Stanaway out of the way, Waters’ pace on the opening lap was beyond even Mostert, whose Mobil 1 Optus Mustang, although fast, was hampered by a technical gremlin throughout the race.

After the first lap of stops, Randle went after his race-leading team-mate and Waters’ engineer Sam Potter advised his driver not to ‘stop Randle’, which only helped the 30-year-old driver increase his pace. and take the road.

Waters was more than four seconds ahead as Mostert retook second on Randle on Lap 53, but a technical gremlin affecting the gears in the two-time Bathurst winner’s car meant he lost his chance for a podium finish at the second stop.

On lap 56 Feeney undertook his close rivals which saw him enter the fight for the podium. Waters pitted on lap 65 and built a massive 11.5-second lead over Randle heading into the final stint.

Kostecki rediscovers mojo after Bathurst win

It’s been great to see the debate surrounding Brodie Kostecki’s on-track performances after the reigning champion and Erebus Motorsport’s turbulent start to 2024. From the sensational lead with Todd Hazelwood at the Bathurst 1000 to the lights-out victory in Race 22.

Kostecki qualified on pole in the Top-Ten Shootout and then led the opening 85-lap Sunday race. Brown, his former teammate in the Red Bull Ampol Camaro, had a better start but the reigning Bathurst 1000 winner dominated the field at the first chicane.

An incident on the opening lap of Turn 11 led to the weekend’s only Safety Car; Brown was behind Kostecki and Mostert was chasing the championship leader. The Mobil 1 Optus Mustang was unfortunately removed from contention by another pit lane drama, this time with the fuel rig.

This lifted Feeney into the top three and gave the 22-year-old a chance to finish on the podium once again. However, when his teammate Brown finished the race ahead of him, the points went in favor of the championship leader.

Brown’s 180-point lead over Feeney means they are mathematically the only two drivers in the hunt for a first championship. Brown will be crowned champion if he maintains a 150-point lead over his teammate in Adelaide on Saturday.

Erebus’ second win of the year further strengthens them in the team’s championship and they enter the fight for fifth place with the Shell V-Power team. Tickford’s one-two on Saturday boosted Walkinshaw Andretti United’s chances of finishing second behind Red Bull with a 337-point lead.

Gold Coast gremlins

Following Race 21 on Saturday, all drivers were classified at the end of lap 85 for the first time in 45 races at the Gold Coast circuit. There are no retirements or major events resulting in a Safety Car either.

However, there were plenty of gremlins to befall some of the key contenders, particularly Mostert, who was eliminated from title contention altogether on the dismal weekend.

A gear sensor issue plagued the 32-year-old pilot on Saturday, ultimately costing him a podium finish. Mostert lost a lot of time in the pits because he could not adapt to the minimum pit lane speed.

Things got worse on Sunday, when an error with WAU’s fuel equipment meant Mostert had to make a third pit stop; but also drew the ire of Race Control, who investigated the team for incorrect use of equipment.

Although Brown will enter the Adelaide 500 in a leading position for the title, Saturday was less than ideal for the leader of the standings. While qualifying for Race 21 he crashed and got stuck behind David Reynolds only to fall back to seventh.

Golding, who finished the Sandown 500 on the podium, also had to suffer from a cross-threaded wheel nut on the left rear during his first pit stop in Race 21. The PremiAir Racing pilot’s high pace could not be fulfilled as he began to beg for a podium.

On Sunday, the typical chaos on the track increased further with the early intervention of the safety car following a multi-vehicle accident at Turn 11. Trying to pass De Pasquale, Stanaway sent rookie Ryan Wood into the barriers with his Shell V-Power Mustang. He was spun into the concrete barrier by James Courtney.

No full-time driving for Frosty in 2025

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

(Photo: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

The 43-year-old’s future was open to speculation, as incumbent Team 18 opted not to renew Frosty’s contract for the future and instead signed Anton De Pasquale in an announcement that barely recognized the departed driver.

“Things don’t always go your way in life, but life is about looking forward and that’s what I plan to do,” Winterbottom said cautiously in his announcement, clearly hinting at a co-driver role for next year.

Winterbottom spent 21 years as a full-time Supercars driver, making his debut with Mark Larkham’s eponymous team and then becoming a Blue Oval stalwart at FPR for almost a decade.

He racked up 41 wins in the process, placing him eighth all-time in the championship behind the legendary Peter Brock, while also claiming his first title in 2015 and winning Bathurst alongside Steven Richards in 2013.

Since moving to Team 18 in 2019, Frosty’s success has been poor; It was largely down to the formative nature of the team owned by Charlie Schwerkolt, but his six years as a Holden/Chevrolet driver must have yielded much more than just one race. a solitary win and a pair of podiums.

Co-driver market is growing

Frosty’s availability adds a new target to the co-pilot market for 2025; Tim Slade, reigning Bathurst winner Hazelwood and others are looking for first class seats.

Winterbottom’s rose-tinted appearance clearly suggests he should rejoin the Ford team.
The Blue Oval with which much of his career is synonymous. The situation may be the same when it comes to a return to the organization that the Tickford organization has been touting.

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

Slade, who raced alongside three-time champion Scott McLaughlin in 2020, has history at DJR; Hazelwood-Kostecki maintains the Bathurst-winning combination could be an irresistible prospect for the Shell V-Power team.

Elsewhere, there could be change at WAU after 2021 Bathurst winner Lee Holdsworth’s difficult enduro season in partnership with Mostert. The likes of Jayden Ojeda, who impressed alongside Jack Le Brocq at Erebus, could be a contender to increase his race fitness with his impressive program of GT3 racing on a global scale.

Where there will be no change will be with Grove Racing, where Garth Tander has signed as both co-driver and mentor, as well as Scott Pye’s Red Bull Ampol Racing team, which has seen Brown and his seven Supercar appearances impress. champion Jamie Whincup doesn’t look ready to relinquish his role alongside Feeney.