Mostert expects WAU to 'come out swinging'

Chaz Mostert expects Walkinshaw Andretti United to "come out swinging" in his second year with the team.

Mostert and WAU combined to finish fifth in the 2020 standings, marking the Holden squad's best individual championship performance in nine years.

Despite failing to win a race, Mostert showed glimpses of his prodigious pace, and capped a "tricky" season with a podium at Bathurst.

WAU heads into the new year with an unchanged driver line-up, with Mostert returning alongside Bryce Fullwood. With both drivers reaching the podium last year, Mostert believes 2021 offers room for improvement.

"The year for us in '20, we can applaud ourselves, I think we did a good job from where they have run the last couple of years," Mostert said on the latest Parked Up podcast episode.

"The expectations now, obviously having run an off-season with a direction on where we want to go with the cars, and obviously two drivers that are staying on from last year to this year, we want to come out swinging a bit harder this year and try and chase some wins.

"I know that the guys and girls are working extremely hard at the workshop, they're working on some new parts to make the cars a little bit quicker.

"I think there's a good possibility we can move forward if the cars go a bit quicker.

"Same with us drivers as well… we're all trying to strive a bit harder this year. The first year with the team was pretty good."

Mostert kicked off his WAU journey with a "dream" podium in Adelaide, but he waited 12 races before he returned to the rostrum in Townsville.

A first pole for WAU at The Bend failed to reap a result, but a strong drive to third at Bathurst helped Mostert finish the season on a high.

Away from the track, team boss Bruce Stewart recently explained to Supercars.com that Mostert had enhanced WAU's culture.

Mostert said he had grown closer to the team, having travelled with them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The relationship started amazingly, it's an awesome group of people down there," the 28-year-old said.

"It's a bit more of a smaller team than they are now, those guys used to run four cars at a time, now they're racing two.

"The whole core staff there, and everyone that over the last 12 months I've gotten quite close with, being on the road.

"They're very passionate and very result-driven."

Mostert also discussed the signing of decorated race engineer Grant 'Shippy' McPherson, who shifts from Triple Eight.

The duo worked together at Ford Performance Racing before McPherson left for the Holden team, where he claimed Bathurst and championship victories.

Having discussed his relationship with long-time engineer Adam De Borre, Mostert claimed that McPherson can bring an added element of experience to WAU as it bids to return to the top step.

"Acquiring a guy like Shippy, from a different team and different culture, really brings a wider experience into the team to lean on when the results are struggling a little bit, or we've lost our way," Mostert explained.

"Shippy won't be in the team for some time until he's allowed to come to the team… as the year progresses, I think he'll have a lot more involvement.

"I worked with Shippy in the early days at FPR… he's a really good guy, really passionate like Adam.

"I'm pretty keen to work with Shippy, it has been a lot of years, I'm sure he's learned a lot from working at different places as well.

"I can't wait to get him involved with the team and pick his brain on a lot of things."

Mostert will take to the track at next month's Mt Panorama 500. Tickets are on sale now.