Three out of four ain’t bad for Brodie Kostecki after taking the final win of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend and the Larry Perkins Trophy.
It was another chaotic race for the Repco Supercars Championship at Albert Park kicked off by a massive opening corner clash leading to the retirement of title contender Broc Feeney.
Contact started just after the start when the Penrite Racing Mustang off Kai Allen was sent airborne due to contact with Ryan Wood’s Mobil 1 Truck Assist Racing Toyota GR Supra.
A puncture for Wood sent him straight ahead at Turn 1, with Allen managing to reach the apex before contact came from Macauley Jones resulting in Feeney being spun by the Penrite Racing entry. Failing to get off the power, Feeney spun broadside across the track then flicked around onto the grass to have Cooper Murray and Zach Bates crash heavily into the side of the Red Bull Ampol Racing Mustang.
Others to be involved included rookie Jackson Walls, Rylan Gray, David Reynolds and many more in the back half of the field.
A safety car was required as the clean up began as Brown led from Thomas Randle, Aaron Cameron, Kostecki, Matt Payne and the lead Chevrolet in Matt Stone Racing’s Jack Le Brocq.
This was the order until Kostecki made his move by disposing of Cameron then doing likewise to Randle, but Brown had by then gapped the field.
Payne and Cameron dropped out with tyre problems leaving Le Brocq to take full advantage.
A mistake from Brown on the penultimate lap at Turn 11 enabled Kostecki to take the win as Randle maintained third ahead of Le Brocq and Blanchard Racing Team’s James Golding.
Monster Castrol Racing’s Cam Waters was next ahead of Jayden Ojeda for his best finish of the season so far for PremiAir Racing, Chaz Mostert of Mobil 1 Optus Racing as lead Toyota, Allen and Jones completed the top 10.
Feeney, Bates and Murray were those not to finish.
In further bad news for Feeney, he now loses the championship lead after regaining it following Race 3 of the weekend, with Kostecki the beneficiary.
The next round of the Repco Supercars Championship is across the Tasman in New Zealand for the first leg of the doubleheader at Taupo on April 10-12.