Mostert makes telling admission after rollercoaster start to 2026
Chaz Mostert "really happy" by gains found in new Toyota in Melbourne
Reigning champion finished sixth for the round, moved into top 10 overall
Ryan Wood claimed Toyota's first Supercars podium on Friday
In a clear sign that Chaz Mostert and Walkinshaw TWG Racing are making serious ground, the reigning champion says he was "really happy" by the gains found in his new Toyota across the weekend in Melbourne.
Mostert finished fifth, 14th, fifth and eighth at the Melbourne SuperSprint to be sixth overall for the weekend, and 10th in the drivers' championship.
The #1 Mobil 1 Optus Supra driver didn't have it all his own way, twice colliding with Broc Feeney on Friday and picking up steering damage, before being penalised over a clash with Will Brown on Saturday.
Come Sunday, and Mostert "had the best seat in the house" at the Turn 1 incident that took Feeney, Cooper Murray and Zach Bates out, Mostert avoiding the carnage "by millimetres."
Mostert's delight in rising through the field in races, though, was a telling admission that the Toyota project is gaining serious momentum.
The proof was also on the scoreboard: Mostert quickly jumped to 10th in points, with Wood seventh. Pre-Melbourne, Mostert was 14th, still 30 points outside the top 10.
Mostert and the team remain in catch-up mode, following Mostert’s Race 2 disqualification, and WTWGR’s teams' points Friday penalty in Sydney.
Had Mostert kept his Sydney result, he would be heading to Sydney in sixth, 151 points down on leader Brodie Kostecki, and 57 clear of the Finals cut-off. Instead, he's 203 down, and only five clear. Conversely, in his championship year, he left Melbourne fourth, 134 points down.
“A lot of learning for us with the Mobil 1 Optus Supra across the weekend,” Mostert said.
"We actually started the weekend on a really positive note in Race 4. The car felt pretty strong straight away... it was a solid way to kick things off and a good sign that the pace was there early.
"Race 5 started even better. I launched well off the line and settled into P4 early. Unfortunately things changed pretty quickly. I had contact from the same car twice.
"Tyre wear became a bit of a challenge midway through the [Saturday] race and we dropped back to sixth, but we were able to fight back late and make a move in the closing laps to grab a top five finish.
"Heading into the final race we started P12 and straight away it was absolute carnage into Turn 1… Once the race settled down after the Safety Car, the goal was just to keep moving forward.
"Although the results probably don’t show the full picture, I’m actually really happy with the improvements we made to the race car across the weekend.”
Teammate Ryan Wood's Friday podium was a standout for WTWGR and Toyota, which claimed silverware in Supercars in just its fifth race.
"Even though it wasn’t our day on that side of the garage, it was a really cool moment for the team seeing Woody bring home Toyota’s first Supercars podium,” Mostert added.
"A huge amount of work has gone into this program behind the scenes so that was a pretty special milestone for everyone involved.”
The 2026 Repco Supercars Championship resumes across the Tasman, with the ITM NZ Doubleheader kicking off in Taupō on April 10-12. Tickets are on sale now.
