Mostert 'stoked' with podium after 'balls-up'
Chaz Mostert was "stoked" to score a Race 1 podium despite a mid-race error.
Mostert finished behind Shane van Gisbergen and Anton De Pasquale in the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight opener.
It marked the third time in as many years that Mostert has started a new year with a podium.
Mostert ended the race in Super Soft tyres and passed Will Brown for third on lap 72.
The Bathurst winner was 31 seconds from van Gisbergen at the flag, but his earlier error kept him guessing.
"The race was a lot of fun," he said.
"I had a big balls-up, I went off the road in my second stint at Turn 6.
"That was a ‘first race of the year muck-up’ sort of thing.
"I was quite surprised to recover to the podium after that, because [the battle] for third, fourth, fifth was very competitive.
"I had nothing left, I was lucky to clear them when I did."
Mostert recorded just one podium in the four Sydney rounds last year, albeit in the wet as he charged from last.
He also missed out to a podium to van Gisbergen by the barest of margins.
The race was an all-round delight for Walkinshaw Andretti United, with recruit Nick Percat racing from 14th to sixth.
It helped WAU to a strong start in the teams’ championship, with the team just 27 points behind Shell V-Power Racing Team.
Mostert was impressed with Percat, who he believes will offer a greater challenge should he qualify better.
"We’ve had a great time so far as teammates," he said.
"He did a fantastic job finishing sixth in that race. If we qualify better we can both get up there.
"I’m pretty stoked with third compared to the four weeks we had here last year.
"It’s good to get a result in the dry and not lose a podium to my mate by a nosecone."
Cars will return to the track for ARMOR ALL Qualifying on Sunday at 11:05am AEDT. CLICK HERE to view the race schedule.
CLICK HERE to purchase your Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight tickets.
