Mostert: Bathurst heartbreak, beer moment sparked historic run
Bathurst heartbreak sparked historic championship run, says Chaz Mostert
Mostert suffered first Bathurst DNF in October, had a beer with fans at The Chase
WAU star won team's first championship in 23 years last weekend in Adelaide
Scenes of Chaz Mostert having a beer at The Chase, just seconds after he consigned himself to a first Bathurst DNF, captured the imagination of the world.
For Mostert, it was a heartbreaking moment masked by classic Aussie candour, and one that set the Queenslander and his team on the pathway to championship glory.
Mostert won the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship on Sunday in Adelaide, snatching glory away from Broc Feeney and Red Bull Ampol Racing.
The 33-year-old’s season had been a rollercoaster. Per Supercars data analyst Scott Sinclair, Mostert finished the regular season at Bathurst as the most inconsistent driver in the field; no one's race results were as erratic as his.
In the 27 races prior to the Finals, Mostert's average finish position was 9.5. Then, in what would ultimately lead him to his first championship, he completed the seven Finals races with an average finishing position of 1.9.
It was an historic run that only Shane van Gisbergen, Scott McLaughlin, and Feeney have bettered in the last 10 years.
Speaking at the Gala Awards on Monday night, Mostert revealed that Bathurst was the moment Walkinshaw Andretti United could have thrown in the towel.
“The heartbreak our team had at Bathurst, it either makes or breaks the team,” Mostert said.
"You could just throw in the chips and you give up, but every guy and girl in our organisation put the arm around each other just like human beings would.
“Everyone in that garage had a tear in their eye that it didn't work out, and that I think was probably the last final thing that got us across the line this year.
“So, so proud of that.”
The beer moment itself brought smiles amid Mostert’s anguish, but he still managed to return to the garage and keep the team motivated as the sister car challenge for victory. Ultimately, another engine issue curtailed WAU’s hopes.
Still, WAU had a driver who could smile through the pain, and one who managed to turn despair into delight come Sunday November 30.
“Being Australian culture that we are, which I'm so grateful, is when you have such a bad day and sometimes you just need to get away from it all and just get back to what the core part of our job is, which is fans,” he continued.
“It really helped me get through a really tough spot. So, I'm so grateful that it was taken the right way.
“This year's just been crazy. I'm trying to reflect on 13 years, like the amount of years I've been sitting in this crowd and going like, 'wow, that would be so cool to stand up here and receive a championship’."
