Kostecki wins Race 5, but under investigation

Brodie Kostecki has provisionally taken victory in a dramatic shortened Race 5 at the Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint.

Kostecki, who won Friday’s sprint, led from lights out to chequered flag in the third race of the weekend.

The #99 Coca-Cola Camaro driver crossed the line first at Albert Park, but is the subject of a post-race investigation over a pit lane breach.

The race featured a litany of incidents, with Mark Winterbottom (#18 DEWALT Camaro), Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) and Macauley Jones (#96 Pizza Hut Camaro) all crashing out.

James Courtney was also forced out after a scary fire broke out in his #5 Snowy Rivers Caravans Mustang.

Shane van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) and Will Brown (#9 Coca-Cola Camaro) completed the podium, with Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) and Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy's Camaro) both penalised over unsafe releases.

Davison and Fullwood crossed the line second and third, but were classified 11th and 12th after their time penalties were applied.

The provisional result, with the Davison and Fullwood penalties applied, ensured Kostecki slashed Chaz Mostert’s series lead to a single point.

"It was a good start, got a clean jump off the line," said Kostecki, who damaged his car after clouting the Turn 10 tyre bundle.

"Then made a pretty bonehead move. She was still pretty quick even though it missing half the front.

"It's unbelievable, it's great to reward the whole team.

"I made a stupid error, I clipped the tyre bundles through Turn 10, and that's the result of it.

"Just a stupid error on my behalf."

Kostecki led the field through Turn 1 as Fullwood hounded the rear of Brown’s Coca-Cola Chevrolet.

Behind them, van Gisbergen was escorted wide by Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) at Turn 4, before James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) and Winterbottom collided at Turn 5.

Winterbottom’s DEWALT Chevrolet made heavy left-side contact with the concrete wall, but he managed to return the car to pit lane.

Meanwhile, Courtney brought his fiery Ford into pit lane, with several teams pitching in to put out the inferno.

Seconds later, De Pasquale was sent spinning into the Turn 5 wall, with Jones also buried in the barriers.

Replays showed Matt Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang) getting into the rear of Jones’ Pizza Hut Chevrolet, with the rookie later handed a drive-through penalty.

The Safety Car was immediately called with De Pasquale and Jones’ cars stricken across Turn 5.

However, with officials still attending to Courtney’s car, the pit lane was closed, and the opening of the compulsory pit stop window was later adjusted to lap 7.

The race resumed on lap 6, with Kostecki blasting away from Brown at Turn 12.

Kostecki led Brown, Fullwood, Davison, Golding, Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro), van Gisbergen, Mostert, Payne and Tim Slade (#23 Nulon Camaro) to green.

Van Gisbergen put a move on Heimgartner at Turn 3, then did the same on Golding on lap 7.

On lap 8, Heimgartner went down the inside of Golding, and a three-wide squeeze with Mostert saw Golding turned around into Turn 4.

Cam Waters (#6 Monster Mustang) had started on Hard tyres and and stopped as soon as the pit window opened.

The majority of stops commenced on lap 9, with Brown pitting from second.

With time certainty ticking down, drivers took their stops on lap 10, with a number of incidents proving pivotal.

Fullwood was released into the path of Declan Fraser's #56 TRADIE Mustang, with Davison released into the path of Fullwood.

Davison clattered into a Red Bull Ampol Racing wheel, which was sent towards the Formula 1 pit lane.

Mostert also took evasive action and avoided the wheel, which bounced back into the fast lane.

Davison and Fullwood crossed the line behind Kostecki, with van Gisbergen and Brown behind.

Mostert and Heimgartner were classified fourth and fifth ahead of Jack Le Brocq (#34 Truck Assist Camaro).

Broc Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) was seventh from 21st on the grid, with Slade, Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang) and Waters rounding out the top 10.

Golding came home in 19th and Payne 21st.

Van Gisbergen, meanwhile, scored the five fastest lap bonus points.

The Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint will conclude with the 13-lap Race 6 at 10:25am local time on Sunday.