Chaz Mostert returned to the top step of the Supercars podium with a dominant performance in Race 14 of the Tyrepower Tasmania Super 440, taking the chequered flag five and a half seconds ahead of Dave Reynolds at Symmons Plains.
The Tickford driver, who had a frustrating outing in Christchurch a fortnight ago, took control of the race after a strategic pit cycle that left him in clean air ahead of the chasing pack. While the opening laps were dominated by Anton De Pasquale, who launched superbly from the outside of the front row, contact with Andre Heimgartner at the hairpin shuffled the running order within three laps.
The commentary captured the moment vividly: De Pasquale was hustled out of it, with Heimgartner refusing to yield from the inside line. Within three corners, De Pasquale dropped from the lead all the way back to fifth, a brutal early reminder of how unforgiving Symmons Plains can be when wheel-to-wheel battles flare up.
Reynolds, who had topped the time sheets on Friday, looked vulnerable in the early stages with a lively rear end on his Team 18 Snow River Caravans Chevrolet Camaro. He elected to pit early on lap 19 for fresh rears in an attempt to settle the car, then mounted a steady fightback to recover second place after the round of stops cycled through.
The most compelling battle of the closing stint was between Brodie Kostecki and championship leader Brock Feeney for third position. Feeney brought a clear pace advantage on fresher rubber after taking four tyres at his stop, but Kostecki leaned on clever defensive lines to keep the Triple Eight Camaro at bay.
"Casti doing a nice job being very strategic where he places his car to his own advantage and clearly wanting to create any sort of disadvantage he can to Feeney as he follows," commentary observed during one of several Feeney lunges at the end of the back straight. The Erebus driver opted to slow the momentum by squaring off the hairpin to protect the braking zone at turn six, frustrating Feeney through to the final laps.
Matt Payne was the day's biggest mover, climbing from 19th on the grid into the top ten thanks to an aggressive run through traffic that included a battle with Joe Stewart and Jackson Walls. Stewart copped a five-second penalty for the contact at turn two, while Kai Allen of Grove Racing received a 15-second penalty for an earlier driving infringement that the stewards judged him responsible for.
For Mostert, the win marks a long-awaited return to form after the Ruapuna round and follows a strong qualifying effort earlier in the day. He led the final 30 laps without serious threat, building a 5.8-second margin to Reynolds and showing the measured race pace that has defined his championship career.
Cameron Hill, Jaden Ojeda, Will Brown and Zach Bates rounded out the top ten alongside Payne, with Heimgartner finishing fifth ahead of De Pasquale in sixth. Race 15 follows later in the day at the historic Symmons Plains circuit, which is celebrating its 100th championship race weekend dating back to 1969.
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