'Wasn't so flash doing that': Bates reacts to Kostecki hit
Brodie Kostecki was penalised over clash with Zach Bates
Bates and Kostecki collided at Turn 8 hairpin disputing ninth
Kostecki finished 10th, Bates fell to 14th after tyre deg battle
It was a baptism of fire for rookie Zach Bates in Sydney, who came home 14th in his first full-time Supercars race following a clash with former series champion Brodie Kostecki.
After qualifying a standout sixth, the 21-year-old made a poor start and dropped three positions on the opening lap, falling back to ninth.
As he continued his recovery in the early laps, Bates was defending from Kostecki, who made front to rear contact with the #10 Bendix Camaro at Turn 8.
The hit not only helped Kostecki get past, but also folded the right rear guard on Bates' car, causing the offending bodywork to rub on the corresponding tyre.
Kostecki was penalised to the tune of five seconds, and finished 10th. Bates suffered with tyre degradation and came home 14th.
Per the stewards report, Kostecki was found to have unfairly gained an advantage as a result of contact to another car.
The report adds: "The vision showed Car 17 collided with the rear of Car 10 at the entry to turn 8 unsettling it. Car 17 overtook Car 10 on the inside. The Stewards determine that the overtake would not have been completed but for the contact."
When asked by Supercars.com about the contact, Bates was politely unimpressed: " There was a bit of damage to the car. Obviously Brodie moved me out the way.
“He was probably gonna get by anyways, but he wasn't so flash doing that. But, anyway, that’s the way it rolled.”
When asked if the damage affected his evening, the 2024 Super2 champion put more focus on tyre wear.
“Obviously it was rubbing against the tyre and it probably looked worse than it was," the Canberran said.
“It popped out and we kept going on our merry ways, but it was extremely, extremely hard.
“Unfortunately my first race around here, I didn't probably expect the deg that I got. Just need to look into it and do a better job of managing it."
Bates was still pleased to make an instant impact, in what is one of the most competitive fields assembled. Despite slipping to 14th, he was still the second rookie home behind PremiAir's Jayden Ojeda.
"It’s a serious level," he said.
“It's good to know that we can qualify that high and it's not out of reach. The racing's a totally different discipline, but it’s good to know that we're going in the right direction."
