The unwritten rule behind 'massive' Mostert/Feeney flashpoint

Mark Skaife called it a "massive moment" in commentary. On repeat viewing, it sure was.

The dramatic penultimate lap flashpoint between Chaz Mostert and Broc Feeney in the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 finale was the first big sign of just how hard drivers will fight for wins in The Finals.

A late Safety Car energised the race, bringing Feeney back to Mostert in a four-lap run home.

After contact at Turn 4 on lap 84 of 85, Feeney tried an ambitious lunge into the braking zone at Turn 11. In response, Mostert covered it off aggressively, forcing Feeney towards the wall and into the clutches of Andre Heimgartner.

It was a heart-stopping moment in a year that has namely delivered the Feeney/Cam Waters/Will Brown drama in Sydney, the Feeney/Matt Payne grandstand finish in Tasmania, and the recent chaos in Bathurst.

To keen-eyed motorsport fans, aggressive defensive moves in the closing laps are commonplace. The caveat to the Mostert/Feeney moment, though, was that both drivers had already clinched their spots in the Sandown Semi Final.

Why fight? Well, there's pride and a win on the line — Feeney made it clear that he won't settle for second at any stage, but had no resentment towards Mostert. Rather, they spoke the battle over post-race, and shared smiles.

However, you can bet your bottom dollar that fights for the win in Sandown and Adelaide will offer similar defensive manoeuvres.

The 'win and you're in' rule is priceless for Finals Drivers. In Feeney and Mostert's special case on Sunday, they still needed maximum points to achieve the best possible seeding for the next round.

While there are rules of engagement over driving conduct, drivers are free to defend for their lives in the closing laps. All told, what Mostert did was legitimate.

“You can be defensive in the last couple of laps. It's an unwritten rule that we've always worked towards,” Motorsport Australia Driving Standards Advisor Craig Baird told Supercars.com.

“Chaz didn't just move under brakes, he just took a wide line, and Broc wanted the position. And I see that, but we've always let them be defensive in the last couple of laps.

“It's consistent across all motorsport. When you're hanging on for the win, while you can't move from one side to the other or back again, you can kind of block, or be defensive because you're hanging on for the win. It's not a formal rule, but it's known thing in motorsport."

Racing defensively comes with the territory. Mostert himself was involved in a divisive battle for victory with Shane van Gisbergen in the 2023 Newcastle finale.

The two made contact in the final laps, van Gisbergen getting by and winning the race. Both camps had their own points of view, and before speaking with Baird post-race, Mostert believed van Gisbergen had nerfed him, and branded van Gisbergen's contact "cheeky."

However, having consulted multiple angles, Baird adjudicated that both Mostert and van Gisbergen contributed to the outcome, which Mostert later accepted.

On that occasion, Mostert and van Gisbergen crossed over at the turn-in point, and there was slight overlap. On Sunday, Mostert and Feeney both made decisions that contributed to their wild moment.

“Chaz was the only car moving across. If you think back to Chaz and Shane in Newcastle, Chaz moved across into the left-hander coming onto the back straight, and Shane was there," Baird added.

“I compare it to, if there's someone in the car park and you're moving and there's not road, if you're the car on the move and you come off second best, that's on you."

Feeney and Mostert are first and second in points heading to the Semi Final at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 on November 14-16. Tickets for the Semi Final are on sale now.