Kostecki wins Albert Park finale after Feeny wreck shortens race

Brodie Kostecki has taken his third win of the weekend in a crash-shortened fourth and final race at the Albert Park Grand Prix circuit in Melbourne.

The Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustang driver was piling the pressure onto Triple Eight’s Will Brown in the fight for the lead, forcing Brown into a mistake on the penultimate lap and seizing the lead to take a 1.75s win.

In doing so, Kostecki took not only the Larry Perkins Trophy for the round, but the points lead from the only other man to win at Albert Park, Broc Feeney.

“What a fantastic weekend,” said Kostecki after his second LP trophy win.

“I had the speed everywhere, I didn’t want to get too close to him to affect it. I knew in the last two laps I was going to put a big attack on.”

Brown put his recent run of bad results behind him with his second place.

“He [Kostecki] was the guy I was watching from the start, I thought if he got into second he was going to be tough,” said Brown – who actually shares a regular podcast with Kostecki. 

“He forced me into my own error. It’s on me, I am excited to get a result instead of all the carnage.”

Third place went to Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle, who started from the front row of the grid and scored his first podium finish in nearly a year, making it a Ford 1-2-3.

“I just wanted to get off the line well but neither of us had anything for Brodie. They [DJR] have put a rocketship together,” he said.

“To be here on the podium… maybe second [was on offer] but those guys are too quick.”

Fourth place went to the best of the Chevrolet Camaros, this time the Matt Stone Racing Camaro of Jack Le Brocq, who moved up from eighth on the grid. ‘JLB’ finishedahead of Chaz Mostert, who stayed out of trouble and came from 12th on the grid in the Walkinshaw TWG Toyota GR Supra. 

Race start chaos causes red flag

There was a huge crash at the start. Ryan Wood and Kai Allen clashed on the run to the first corner, both cars suffering immediate flat tyres. In the midst of the melee from 11th on the grid Triple Eight’s Feeney spun and was hit but the Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet of Cooper Murray, spun around then hit by Zach Bates (Matt Stone Racing Chevrolet). 

The points leader coming into the race was out on the spot and now, the Triple Eight team faces a big job to get the wrecked car ready for the double-header in New Zealand, sea freight schedules presenting a big challenge.

With his three wins Kostecki takes the championship points win on 485 points, ahead of Cam Waters (Tickford Racing) on 467. Feeney is now third on 455 ahead of Payne (412) and Anton De Pasquale (354) and Le Brocq (330).

The next round of the series is set for Taupo Motorsport Park in New Zealand, on 10-12 April.

1	B. Kostecki Dick Johnson Racing	17		Ford Mustang S650	13
2	W. Brown Triple Eight Race Engineering	888		Ford Mustang S650	13		1.7558
3	T. Randle Tickford Racing	55		Ford Mustang S650	13		1.7395
4	J. Le Brocq Matt Stone Racing	4		Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	13		0.4372
5	J. Golding Blanchard Racing Team	7		Ford Mustang S650	13		0.1571
6	C. Waters Tickford Racing	6		Ford Mustang S650	13		1.3330
7	J. Ojeda PremiAir Racing	31		Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	13		0.2561
8	C. Mostert Walkinshaw TWG Racing	1		Toyota GR Supra	13		1.0424
9	K. Allen Grove Racing	26		Ford Mustang S650	13		1.3321
10	M. Jones Brad Jones Racing	96		Toyota GR Supra	13		1.7972
11	D. Fraser PremiAir Racing	777		Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	13		1.1249
12	A. De Pasquale Team 18	18		Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	13		0.6503
13	C. Hill Brad Jones Racing	14		Toyota GR Supra	13		0.5843
14	R. Gray Dick Johnson Racing	38		Ford Mustang S650	13		4.2974
15	A. Heimgartner Brad Jones Racing	800		Toyota GR Supra	13		0.0810
16	J. Walls Triple Eight Race Engineering	11		Ford Mustang S650	13		0.5558
17	D. Reynolds Team 18	20		Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	13		2.5311
18	J. Stewart Erebus Motorsport Penrite	9		Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	13		0.5406
19	A. Cameron Blanchard Racing Team	3		Ford Mustang S650	13		52.0714
20	M. Payne Grove Racing	19		Ford Mustang S650	13		5.6992
21	R. Wood Walkinshaw TWG Racing	2		Toyota GR Supra	12		1 Lap
	B. Feeney Triple Eight Race Engineering	88		Ford Mustang S650	0
	Z. Bates Matt Stone Racing	10		Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	0
	C. Murray Erebus Motorsport Penrite	99		Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	0

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– The Autosport.com Team