Chaz Mostert has explained that his controversial clash with Brodie Kostecki wasn’t entirely his fault because their wheels got interlocked and shunted his car sideways. But Supercars fans are calling for a race ban and questioning whether Mostert should have been disqualified.
The reigning Supercars champ was handed a 30-second penalty after he drove Kostecki off the track in a wild moment late in Sunday’s final race in Christchurch. After Ryan Wood suffered a heartbreaking DNF that robbed him of the Jason Richards Trophy (for best driver of the two rounds in New Zealand), Kostecki had the chance to win it.
Chaz Mostert and Brodie Kostecki have both spoken out about the incident. Image: Supercars/Fox
The DJR driver only needed to pass Mostert to claim the trophy, but Mostert wasn’t about to roll over and let him have it. After the two cars made contact, Mostert blocked Kostecki’s run and shunted him way over to the left of the track, before eventually punting him off onto the grass.
Kostecki careened out of control and ended up spinning back across the track on the next bend, narrowly missing Mostert and Will Brown. The incident could have been so much worse, and fans and fellow drivers were gobsmacked by Mostert’s actions.
Stewards later gave Mostert a 30-second penalty, which saw him finish 17th. Kostecki finished 18th and lost the Jason Richards trophy to Broc Feeney.
On social media, fans have been questioning whether Mostert should have been disqualified from the race altogether. Many have called for the Walkinshaw driver to be handed a suspension, however it seems unlikely.
Chaz Mostert offers explanation
Speaking on the broadcast after the race, Mostert said his wheels interlocked with Kostecki’s and played a part in the incident. “Brodie was pretty adventurous down there at (Turn) 2 and bowled me wide, so I let him know I was pretty upset, but that wasn’t my intention for sure,” he said.
“We made wheel-to-wheel contact, and it just spat me sideways, and then the last one whiplashed Brodie off, so not ideal.” Mostert later apologised on social media, writing: “Difficult race today for us, going back and forth at the end and not the way we wanted the race to end, sorry to Brodie and his team.”
Chaz Mostert and Will Brown narrowly avoided crashing into Brodie Kostecki. Image: Supercars/Fox
Kostecki also lost the championship lead in the chaos. He was spotted talking to Mostert after the race, and later said: “I think he saw that I was coming pretty late and tried to turn in, but I was already up a fair way.
“So that put me up onto the grass there, and I didn’t run him off the road on exit or anything, I gave him a car [width]. I’m not about that. And then the rest happened, so interesting. I’m glad I didn’t take out any other cars obviously, and I believe there’s a flag post there as well, so glad nothing serious happened.”