WAU boss' frank assessment of 2024 campaign

Walkinshaw Andretti United made a major step forward to challenge for the title, but Team Principal Carl Faux admits the "peaks and troughs" were "a bit too extreme" in 2024.

Chaz Mostert finished the year as he started it, fighting the might of Triple Eight Race Engineering for race victories, ending the year with three wins and 11 podiums. Ryan Wood, meanwhile, took home rookie honours in a solid campaign.

However, a litany of poor luck and mistakes ensured Mostert was unable to take the championship fight to the final round, where he was taken out of the battle for victory by Broc Feeney on the final day.

WAU and Mostert were a force throughout 2024, Mostert turning a 279-point deficit to eventual champion Will Brown after Round 5 to be just 81 points behind heading to the enduros. However, Mostert ceded 228 points over the next three rounds to fall out of contention.

There were driving errors, Mostert penalised for hitting Matt Payne out of the lead at the Grand Prix, and Lee Holdsworth spinning at Sandown.

However, WAU also slipped up, losing a wheel in Taupō, losing a Perth win over an unsafe release, missing out on the Super Soft in Darwin, suffering a self-described "diabolical" day at Sandown, and gear position sensor issue and refuelling error in Surfers Paradise. A day before his Adelaide charge, Mostert was forced into a pit lane start with a clutch issue.

Mostert ultimately had 18 finishes of seventh or better in 24 starts, and Faux believes the team learned plenty to return in 2025 and mount another championship challenge.

It was a point reiterated by CEO Bruce Stewart, who said WAU needs to nail its “half-percenters” to win the championship in 2025.

“On Saturday we had a few issues and Sunday was definitely a race that got away for Chaz. It was an entertaining race for the fans, but not for us," Faux said.

“Over the year things were not bad, but not good enough. We got poles, we got wins, and we got front-row lockouts. But it was not good enough for the championship.

“The peaks and troughs have been a bit too extreme. The way Chaz drove on Sunday showed what he can do, and young Ryan Wood has showed flashes of speed, but keeps getting taken out.

“It’s good to have some data and reset for next year with new championship and a new series format. We have definitely made a step forward from where we were in 2023 and we've definitely on the right path for next year."

Mostert and Wood will commence their 2025 campaigns at the opening round in Sydney on February 21-23. Tickets are on sale now.

Holden Racing Team/WAU teams' championship record