Mostert's 'survival' mission in Finals squeeze

Chaz Mostert has opened up on his mission for "survival" in the back end of the Supercars regular season, as he seeks to avoid a slice of unwanted history.

No reigning Supercars/Australian Touring Car Champion has ever finished outside the top 10 in a full-time title defence. James Courtney finished 10th in his title defence in 2011, while Brodie Kostecki finished 17th in 2024 after missing the first two rounds.

Even if Mostert was to make the 10 after Bathurst, a change to the Finals rules in 2026 sees any eliminated driver lose all Finals bonus points. If Mostert gets knocked out at either the Gold Coast or Sandown, he could still slip outside the top 10.

It's been a rollercoaster season for Mostert, Walkinshaw TWG Racing, and Toyota as the Japanese powerhouse navigates its first season in Supercars.

Through it all, Mostert sits just 51 points clear of Matt Stone Racing rival Jack Le Brocq, the two drivers respectively on either side of the Finals bubble. Mostert knows he needs to build, and quickly.

"We need to try and survive in the bubble in this back part of the year, and keep trying to build some car speed so we can shake and bake like we did in the Finals last year," said Mostert on WTWGR's mid-year review podcast.

"We'll get ourselves in the Final Four if we can, that'd be pretty cool to see a Toyota in there. That's definitely the goal, and hopefully have a 1-2 at Bathurst. Is that asking too much?"

At their highest points, the Toyota has been the class of the field. Mostert, teammate Ryan Wood, and Brad Jones Racing's Andre Heimgartner have all recorded race wins in Supras this year, and within the first 15 races of the season.

But, as you would expect with any new program, there have been hurdles. The Toyota 2UR-GSE V8 engine has been a continued source of reliability headaches, while Mostert has also been stung by three penalties and a disqualification.

WTWGR's steep learning curve has also coincided with the leading pack becoming even more competitive, the likes of Team 18 (Anton De Pasquale) and Blanchard Racing Team (James Golding) both showing markedly improved pace year-on-year.

"I think also don't [discount] all the other competition we've got out there too. To have two cars in the 10 at the moment, first year with Toyota, is something to be really proud of," Mostert continued.

"Just how tight the field is. We showed last year at Bathurst qualifying and it's kind of carried on into this year, you miss it by the smallest window in Supercars, it's the difference between fighting for a podium that day or being 15th to 20th.

"It's super tough out there, so you can't put it past anyone."

Though he is two positions ahead of Mostert, Wood is by no means in a position of complete safety either, just 150 points clear of the bubble despite claiming Toyota's first win in Taupō.

It's a position that became slightly more compromised following a catastrophic power steering failure in Darwin, and one that the 22-year-old is eager to improve.

"In all honesty, we would love to be higher in all aspects, but we've gotta get ourselves in that 10 and see what we can do in those last couple of rounds," the Kiwi added.

Wrapping up Finals berths for both the #1 and #2 Toyotas will be a fitting farewell for program architect and Team Principal Carl Faux, who on Tuesday morning announced that he will depart the team following Bathurst.

The NTI Townsville 500 begins on Friday.