hero-img

Kostecki the last man standing in crucial stat

21 Apr
Series leader has finished every race in the top 10
3 mins by James Pavey
Advertisement

If there was a stat that validated Brodie Kostecki’s position as championship leader, it was his knack in finding the top 10.

Erebus Motorsport driver Kostecki heads to next weekend's Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint as the series leader after two rounds.

Coca-Cola Camaro driver Kostecki leads Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford star Chaz Mostert by 32 points.

It’s no surprise Kostecki and Mostert are first and second in the points — heading into the Albert Park finale, they were the only drivers to have finished each race in the top 10.

Kostecki was the last man standing after Race 6, with Mostert slumping to 14th as he suffered major tyre drop-off while fighting for the win.

It was the first time in 23 races — since Darwin in June 2022 — that Mostert had missed out on a top 10 finish.

On that occasion, Mostert finished fourth, but was disqualified from the Darwin opener after WAU was found guilty of illegally using a battery-operated air blower on the car on the grid.

Mostert, Shane van Gisbergen, Broc Feeney and Jack Le Brocq are next best in 2023 with five top 10s in six starts.

Six races, six top 10s and five podiums

Van Gisbergen, Feeney and Le Brocq all could have six from six — both Red Bull Ampol Camaro were disqualified from their one-two in Newcastle.

Matt Stone Racing’s Le Brocq, meanwhile, saw a top 10 go begging in Melbourne after first being stung by a slow stop, before crashing out altogether.

Advertisement

Drivers in positions four through six in the championship — Andre Heimgartner, Will Brown and Cam Waters — have four from six.

Brad Jones Racing spearhead Heimgartner opened the year with fifth and seventh in Newcastle, and ended Melbourne with fifth and second after lowly finishes of 17th and 16th.

Waters was credited with the Race 1 win after Triple Eight’s double disqualification, but a clash with the wall in Race 2 relegated the Tickford Racing driver to 12th.

Kostecki’s teammate Brown should be on five from six had he not spun out of the Albert Park finale while battling Mostert.

Of 25 drivers, 21 have recorded at least one top 10 finish through six races — up from 19 in 2022, and 18 in 2021.

Kostecki also has more podiums than any other driver with five, ahead of van Gisbergen (four).

Mostert, Brown and Feeney are the only other drivers with multiple podiums (two each), with Waters, Heimgartner and David Reynolds on one each.

Top 10 finishes in 2023 (after six races)

6/6: Brodie Kostecki5/6: Chaz Mostert, Shane van Gisbergen*, Broc Feeney*, Jack Le Brocq4/6: Andre Heimgartner, Will Brown, Cam Waters3/6: David Reynolds, Mark Winterbottom2/6: Thomas Randle, Tim Slade, Anton De Pasquale, Macauley Jones, James Courtney1/6: Bryce Fullwood, Will Davison, James Golding, Scott Pye, Todd Hazelwood**, Declan Fraser0/6: Matt Payne, Jack Smith, Cameron Hill, Nick Percat

*Disqualified from Race 1

**Disqualified from Race 3

Related News

Advertisement