Five fast Ford Mustang GTs have made their way into the Semi-Finals of the first-ever Supercars Finals Series after a bruising weekend on the mean streets of Surfers Paradise.
The first leg of the new three-round format saw the number of championship contenders reduced from 10 drivers to seven, with another three to be eliminated at Sandown, before the Grand Final at the Adelaide 500 at the end of November.
Chaz Mostert made a perfect reservation for the next bout of battle in Melbourne with twin wins in the gruelling 250km races on the iconic Surfers Paradise street circuit, with rookie Kai Allen joining him on the Saturday podium.
Along with Mostert, the other Ford drivers locked in for the Semi-Finals are Matt Payne, Cam Waters, Allen and Thomas Randle, with Ryan Wood and Brodie Kostecki missing out.
Wood was struck down by a fuel system issue on Saturday, while Kostecki had an almighty crash that required an overnight rebuild. Both raced on Sunday, but couldn’t get the results needed to get to the next stage.
Mostert's ‘win and you’re in’ approach paid off handsomely as he dominated on Saturday and survived a late Safety Car intervention towards the end of the 85-lap stoush on Sunday.
“I had my angry eyes on,” Mostert said after his first win of the weekend.
“Pretty pumped, just to get two wins this weekend,” he said after the flag on Sunday.
The 2025 Supercars Championship series moves to the historic Sandown Raceway in Melbourne from November 14-16.
FORD RACE RESULTS
RACE 1
1st – Chaz Mostert
3rd – Kai Allen
4th – Cam Waters
6th – James Courtney
9th – Thomas Randle
10th – Matt Payne
RACE 2
1st – Chaz Mostert
4th – Matt Payne
5th – Cam Waters
6th – Kai Allen
7th – Thomas Randle
9th – Ryan Wood
10th – Aaron Cameron
FORD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
2nd – Chaz Mostert, 3357 points
3rd – Matt Payne, 3333
4th – Cam Waters, 3302
6th – Kai Allen, 3247
7th – Thomas Randle, 3207
9th – Ryan Wood, 3138
10th – Brodie Kostecki, 3131
19th – Will Davison, 1022
20th – James Courtney, 904
23rd – Aaron Cameron, 738
TEAM OWNER/TEAM PRINCIPAL QUOTES
CARL FAUX, Walkinshaw Andretti United
- “We’ll celebrate until 6am on Monday and then we’ll be fully committed to the next event at Sandown. All year we’ve been looking for things for The Finals and both cars were lightning quick through the weekend.
- “It was a real team effort, from leaving our qualifying on Saturday until the last minute to then under-fuelling Chaz Mostert’s car to get track position on Sunday. We out-played the team that usually sets the pace and that was a fantastic effort.
- “It was an absolutely brilliant weekend for Chaz. We took risks and they paid off.
- “We’re disappointed for Ryan Wood, as he missed the cut for The Finals, but the kid is the real deal. It’s only his second year and he’s been scoring pole positions, running in Shootouts and taking wins. His cool suit failed on Sunday and to do what he did in those conditions was one of the very best drives I’ve seen from anyone.”
DAVID NOBLE, Dick Johnson Racing
- “We’re not going to turn up our toes. We’re out of the finals but not out of contention.
- “After Brodie Kostecki’s crash on Saturday the team put in a herculean effort, at home in the workshop and also at the track, to give him a crack on Sunday. It was a reflection of what this team is and what it stands for.
- “We have plenty of learnings to carry through the rest of the championship. There are still opportunities for us to put a good package together and race at the front.”
STEPHEN GROVE, Grove Racing
- “Our pace was really, really good all weekend with both cars. To get two cars into the semi-final was the objective for the weekend and we achieved it.
- “Kai Allen did a great job to grab a podium on Saturday and Matt Payne finished fourth on Sunday, so we have two Mustangs into the final seven for Sandown.
- “From here, we have to do everything perfectly. We’ve looking pretty good but we cannot afford any mistakes.
- “There are two weekends now to decide the championship and we want to keep two drivers and two cars in the game until Sunday in Adelaide."
TIM BLANCHARD, Blanchard Racing Team
- “It was a good weekend. We keep moving forward. We’ve made a lot of progress through the second half of the season.
- “We got two Top 10 results and having both Mustangs in the Shootout on Sunday was a highlight.
- “JC just loves this place, which is his home race, and Aaron Cameron is really starting to progress. He is definitely finding his groove at this level, which is good as we start to look ahead to next year.”
ROD NASH, Tickford Racing
- “We have a spring in our step after this weekend. Getting two drivers into the semi-finals, with Cam Waters and Thomas Randle both showing good speed, is a good sign as we head to our home track at Sandown.
- ”This weekend we were just strong. You couldn’t ask for any more. And you’ve got to be careful in wanting to be better with the pressure in The Finals. We just need to continue with our momentum.
- “This weekend was the 800th round for Rod Nash Racing and it’s sort of surreal to be standing at Tickford Racing and thinking about that. It’s a bit hard to imagine all the goings-on over that time, but I’m happy to still be here and have a team doing so well."
