Mostert's key goal after Perth turnaround

Chaz Mostert was pleased to return to the pointy end in Perth on Sunday, but is determined to start race weekends on the front foot.

Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford star Mostert finished fourth and fifth in Sunday’s two sprints at the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint.

It was a smart turnaround considering Mostert slumped to 15th in Saturday qualifying, and finished 11th in Race 7.

The Sunday form reversal was critical to Mostert’s hopes in keeping pace with series leader Brodie Kostecki, who scored three podiums.

Mostert retained second overall in the championship despite missing the podium for a second round in a row.

The two-time Bathurst winner praised his crew for returning him to the front — but he reiterated that starting weekends up the front is critical in fighting for wins.

“Today was a little bit of a learning curve,” Mostert said after Sunday’s finale.

“In qualifying, I didn't get the most out of the car because the philosophy was different.

“I need to go back to the drawing board — hopefully next round we start the car like this and keep building on it.

“I’m just pumped we turned it around and got good points.

“I would’ve loved a trophy, but you have to start at the pointy end.”

Kostecki has outscored Mostert by 145 points in the last two rounds, and has finished on the podium in eight of the nine races.

Mostert has gone without silverware since Newcastle, but has remained a constant in the top five.

The Ford driver reiterated that the new cars are a greater challenge with regards to finding a set-up that works.

Regardless, Mostert was happy to be a factor at the front, a far cry to WAU’s Perth woes from 2022.

Last year, neither WAU driver was able to crack the top 10 in either qualifying or race trim.

“Really happy with today’s results,” Mostert said.

“To get a fourth and a fifth, compared to where we were yesterday, I’m super stoked with the turnaround.

“The team dug in deep last night [Saturday] and went through some data, and came up with a new philosophy.

“These cars are a little bit harder to work on than last year’s cars. All the mechanics have been working extremely hard in the background.”

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint on May 19-21.

Tickets for the event are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.