Brodie Kostecki delivered a dominant performance at Taupo's Super440 event, extending his Supercars Championship points advantage with a commanding victory in the opening 120km race.
Starting from pole position, Kostecki controlled the race from the front, maintaining his lead through the crucial pit stop phase before pulling away to secure the largest winning margin in New Zealand Supercars history at 16 seconds.
Will Brown claimed second place after withstanding intense late-race pressure from Ryan Wood, who impressed with his Toyota to secure his second podium finish of the season. Wood's strong performance earned him pole position for the next race, marking Toyota's first pole in the category.
Broc Feeney endured the most dramatic race among the front-runners, experiencing engine troubles mid-race that saw him tour through the turn 12 outfield. He also survived a door-banging incident with Chaz Mostert before recovering to fourth place.
The race featured several dramatic moments, including early carnage that affected multiple drivers. Kai Allen, who entered the event eighth in the championship standings, suffered steering damage in opening lap incidents that dropped him five laps behind the field.
Both Jobe Stewart and Aaron Cameron were casualties of the aggressive opening exchanges, with Stewart retiring to the pits with damage and Cameron spinning in front of the pack at the turn 11 hairpin.
Cam Waters encountered late-race dramas when his Monster Mustang developed a rear-end issue before being collected by a spinning Jayden Ojeda, ending his day prematurely.
The second race of the day has been extended to 200km and is scheduled for 1:30pm AEST. Sunday's racing has been cancelled due to Cyclone Vaianu approaching the region, with the affected race rescheduled for Friday at Christchurch's debut Supercars event.
Kostecki's victory further solidifies his championship position as the series heads into its unique single-day format at Taupo. The extended second race will provide additional opportunities for drivers to gain crucial championship points before the series moves to Christchurch for its inaugural event.
