Wood fends off Brown to clinch first Supercars win

Walkinshaw Andretti United rising star Ryan Wood has denied a hard-charging Will Brown to clinch his maiden Supercars victory at the Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440.

The New Zealander made his tyres last to defeat the reigning champion by just 0.6129s, Wood becoming the seventh different winner in 13 races in 2025.

Wood passed teammate Chaz Mostert in the first stint to claim the lead, and was forced to stave off a racy Broc Feeney before beating Brown home in a tense run to the finish.

Mostert came home third ahead of Feeney, whose championship lead was slashed from 33 to 21 points by Brown. Brodie Kostecki, Matt Payne, Cam Waters, Bryce Fullwood, Cameron Hill and Thomas Randle rounded out the top 10.

WAU also became the fourth team, after Triple Eight, Dick Johnson Racing and Tickford Racing to record 300 championship podiums.

"It's pretty emotional to be honest, my parents have sacrificed a lot for me to get here," an emotional Wood said.

"To achieve my life-long dream, it doesn't feel real. So, so stoked for our whole team, and just kudos to all our partners, the engineering group for coaching me through that race, and I just can't believe it."

Wood got a better launch when the lights went out, but was unable to convert it into a lead. Behind the WAU Fords, a poor Kostecki start helped Feeney into third, while a puncture sent Aaron Cameron into a spin at Turn 5.

Wood shadowed Mostert closely in the opening laps, before Mostert responded with the fastest lap on lap 6. On lap 11, Wood made his move, getting down the inside into Turn 7 before sealing the deal through Turn 1.

Mostert didn’t let Wood get away — rather, Feeney caught the two WAU Fords, with the top three covered by one second. Behind them, Brown picked off Payne for fifth at Turn 7.

Triple Eight pulled the pin with Feeney and attempted an undercut, and a minor delay to Wood’s start led to a tight rejoin for the erstwhile leader. Wood was forced to defend from Turn 4 to Turn 7, and held on.

Mostert called the shots as his teammate battled the points leader, with Brown and Payne opting for four-tyre stops. A slow stop stung Payne, dropping him back.

On lap 27, WAU pulled Mostert in for four tyres, but the pole winner emerged a net fifth behind Wood, Feeney, Brown and Kostecki courtesy of a delay on the right rear. With 21 laps to go, Mostert was six seconds behind Wood.

Wood’s headaches continued as the leaders caught those who had yet to make their stops. Mostert set repeat fastest laps to catch Brown and Kostecki, with Waters 3.7s behind his former teammate.

In repeat scenes of Taupō, Mostert and Kostecki got into it, with the former completing the move with 17 laps remaining. Off the hook from a Mostert challenge, Brown drew to within 1.7s of Feeney by lap 35, with Wood 0.8s ahead of Feeney.

With 13 laps to go, Brown eased by Feeney, with Wood 1.4s up the road. Mostert quickly caught Feeney and, armed with superior pace, cleared the points leader with nine laps to go.

With six laps remaining, the margin between Wood and Brown dipped under a second, with Mostert 2.3s behind. With four to go, it was just 0.5s. Wood responded with a faster lap on lap 47, yet Brown remained within striking distance.

Brown didn't have enough, Wood getting home to join a decorated list of championship race winners from New Zealand. Brown claimed his seventh podium of the season, with Mostert scoring fastest lap bonus points.