Mostert reacts to Brown qualifying run-in
Chaz Mostert to start last tomorrow after ragged Boost Mobile Qualifying for Race 7
Mostert made mistakes on first two flying laps before being impeded by Will Brown on third
Mostert to start 11th for Race 6 this afternoon, Brown handed three-place grid penalty
Chaz Mostert has been left to rue a disastrous Boost Mobile Qualifying for Race 7 of the Repco Supercars Championship tomorrow afternoon at the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint.
It was a wild session for the two-time Bathurst 1000 winner, who survived a high-speed brush along the concrete wall at Turn 8 but couldn't set a representative lap time on his first two flying laps.
Forced to push for an unusual third lap, Mostert once again struck trouble, this time coming across a slow-moving Will Brown at the exit of the Turn 6/7 complex.
Despite Mostert stomping on the brakes to slow down, contact was made with the rear of the Red Bull Ampol Racing Camaro, with TV cameras showing damage to the front of the #25 Mustang after returning to the garage.
As a result, Mostert's best time, which was set on his final flyer despite the touch with Brown, was more than three seconds off the pace of pole-sitter Broc Feeney, and one and a half seconds off Aaron Cameron in 23rd.
A frustrated Mostert refused to put the blame squarely on the reigning champion, who was later handed a grid penalty after qualifying a lowly 18th himself.
"Well I'd hope to say I wouldn't be 24th, but I never got a lap time," said Mostert post-session.
"It's not completely Will's fault, at the end of the day we rely on a lot of communication back from our team, and obviously Will had no idea that I was on a lap.
"Every time this happens it's always 'I never got told you were coming,' so it's back to the teams on that one."
Being impeded capped off a disappointing weekend in qualifying trim for Mostert, who hasn't qualified inside the top 10 for any of the four races, with a best of 11th for Race 6 this afternoon.
"The first qualifying I was pretty happy with, I did a 46.9 I think it was, and I felt like we'd made some improvements, and then I found out the pole time was a 46.1, and I'm like 'oh we're still a fair chunk off.'
"It probably put a bit more pressure on me in Q2 to go a bit exploratory, and I stuffed those first two laps up on the green tyre, but I just couldn't find any more time than what I did in Q1.
"Unfortunately I had to go for lap three to try and do a time, and I found my old mate William Brown out there."
Race 6 of the Repco Supercars Championship will begin at 5:40pm this afternoon.
