Mostert replacement decided this weekend
Prodrive Racing Australia expects to have a replacement driver for Chaz Mostert sorted by the end of this weekend for the Castrol Gold Coast 600 and championship events beyond that.
The Pepsi Max driver suffered a fractured left femur and wrist in a violent accident in the early minutes of qualifying at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 that destroyed his $500,000 Ford Falcon FG X, ended his race defence and any chance of defeating team-mate Mark Winterbottom for the V8 Supercars championship.
But while Mostert will likely spend some time on the sidelines recovering, PRA is required to continue to enter car #6 in the remaining 12 championship races.
PRA must first find a co-driver to share the car with Cam Waters at the Castrol Gold Coast 600 in two weeks time, but must also decide who will drive the car for sprint events beyond that, most likely out to the season-ending Coates Hire Sydney 500 in early December.
"We'll be thinking about it and talking to people as well, that started once we understood the extent of his injuries," PRA team boss Tim Edwards told v8supercars.com.au late on Saturday afternoon. "We have to start thinking about it, Gold Coast is only two weeks away.
"You've obviously got (to find) someone to partner up with Cam at the Gold Coast because Cam is already locked in for that and then what we will do with the car for the remaining three rounds.
"Probably by the end of the weekend that will be sorted.
"I've got a pretty clear picture in my head what I want to do."
When it was suggested that Dunlop Seriesstar Waters was a logical choice to take over #6, Edwards deflected.
"That's certainly a line of thinking. There could be other lines of thinking, but that certainly could be a line of thinking."
Edwards acknowledged the impact Mostert's accident would have on the championship situation and how it worked in favour of Winterbottom.
"The closest competitor to Frosty has now been taken out... I can give you the tip Mark's pretty upset at the moment and I'm sure that's not even crossed his mind and nor should it. The most important thing at the moment is Chaz's health and well-being."
While Edwards wasn't willing to speculate whether Mostert would definitely miss the rest of the season, his personal experience told him the length of the recovery was dependent on several factors.
"It obviously depends on how they deal with his leg," he said. "I know from my own experience. My son broke his leg and arm last year, same injuries, he was in a wheelchair and [had] a halo on his leg for an extend period.
"But there's other ways of doing it - they could plate his leg, puta rod down his leg. There are so many different things, clearly.
"I'm not a Doctor but having some recent experience myself I understand a bit of this stuff and that'll depend on how they deal with it as to what he's done."
While the Mostert/Waters car has been withdrawn, PRA still has four Fords in the race including the Harvey Norman-backed wildcard being driven by Simona De Silvestro and Renee Gracie.
Despite not having a car to work on, #6's crew will still make a contribution to the organisation's campaign, Edwards said.
"They will form a functional part of the pit crew anyway so they've still got that to do, but in terms of that particular car of course there's not much to do with that, that's in heaven now, that car."
