Mostert catching up after Sydney disqualification sting

If not for an oversight in Sydney, reigning champion Chaz Mostert and Walkinshaw TWG Racing would have even wider smiles.

Heading into Friday’s Melbourne SuperSprint sprint, Mostert sits 11th in the drivers’ standings, with WTWGR sixth in teams’ as the new Toyota GR Supra project gets up to speed.

The reigning champion raced to an impressive fifth on Thursday, on what was another standout day for WTWGR’s new Toyota program.

Mostert qualified fifth and fourth on Thursday, with teammate Ryan Wood running to third in Race 5 qualifying. Wood followed Mostert home seventh, helping WTWGR mark its landmark 1000th Supercars race with a double top 10.

Amid the great results, the effects of Mostert’s Race 2 disqualification, and WTWGR’s penalty from Friday in Sydney, have both driver and team in catch-up mode.

WTWGR was docked 30 teams' championship points and fined $3000 over a procedural breach on Wood’s car in Sydney.

Had Mostert not been scratched from the Race 2 results, he would be sixth in the standings, 51 points clear of the Finals cut-off and 113 from the lead.

Instead, the #1 Mobil 1 Optus Toyota driver is a single point behind 10th places David Reynolds, and 166 behind new leader Matt Payne.

WTWGR, meanwhile, would be just 40 points from the teams’ championship lead in fourth. Instead, they are 122 points down in sixth.

Given the widely competitive start to 2026, though, Mostert and his team could yet leave Albert Park better off than they did 12 months ago.

Last year, Mostert left Melbourne 89 points above the cut-line, while the team was 344 points from the teams’ championship.

Mostert will look to jump into the top 10 for the first time this season in Race 5, which commences at 5:30pm local time.