The longest waits for a Supercars title, and what came next

Good things come to those who wait, and that was certainly the case for Chaz Mostert in 2025.

The Walkinshaw Andretti United star clinched his first Repco Supercars Championship crown this year, 12 years after his championship debut.

Mostert became the 28th driver to win Australia's premier touring car category, which started way back in 1960. Seemingly destined as a perennial bridesmaid, Mostert had only ever come as close as third (2021, 2022, 2024).

After a brilliant run in the Repco Supercars Finals Series, Mostert emerged as first-time champion as a 33-year-old.

Of the 28 drivers to have won a championship, no one had waited longer than Mostert's 12 years. He shares the marker with former teammate Mark Winterbottom, who won the 2015 crown after debuting in 2003.

Good things come to those who wait; 15 drivers waited five or more years from their championship debuts to win a championship. Only Mostert, Winterbottom and Dick Johnson waited more than 10 years after making their championship debut.

Nine drivers were older than 33-year-old Mostert at the time of their first title: Robbie Francevic (45), John Bowe, Russell Ingall (both 41), David McKay (39), Jim Richards (38), Johnson (36), Bill Pitt (35) and Winterbottom (34).

To put Mostert's wait into perspective, Craig Lowndes won the 1996 championship as a 22-year-old rookie.

What came next?

Winterbottom's 2015 title was followed by just three wins across the next nine seasons. Johnson, meanwhile, added four more championships and two Bathurst wins.

Glenn Seton, Garth Tander, Shane van Gisbergen, Bowe and Ingall all waited nine years for their first titles. Seton won another, Tander won Bathurst five times after his championship, while van Gisbergen added two more titles and three Bathurst victories.

Two all-time greats in Allan Moffat and Jim Richards also waited eight years for their first titles, and carved out Hall of Famer careers.

All told, Mostert's best could be yet to come, or his success could dry up. There's a major unknown given Toyota's arrival in 2026, but you can bet your bottom dollar that Mostert will be giving it everything to go back-to-back.

Mostert's relief

The long wait wasn't lost on Mostert, who debuted mid-season as a 21-year-old for Dick Johnson Racing on loan from Ford Performance Racing (now Tickford Racing).

It was also a long wait for his team, which celebrated its first drivers' championship since Mark Skaife in 2002 amid the Holden Racing Team's dominance.

"I came into Supercars when I was 21, and now at 33 years old, I thought this was never going to happen," he wrote post-race.

"You get a bit older, and the young crop coming into Supercars is hot to trot. They're driving these cars fast as, they really suit their driving style, and you're really trying to push yourself as an older statesman.

"But you just never give up, and Sunday was our day."

Longest waits for maiden ATCC/Supercars title after championship debut

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