PODIUM FOR MOSTERT ON DEBUT
Chaz Mostert has kick started the Walkinshaw Andretti United journey with a podium, finishing second in Race 2 in the Mobil 1 Appliances Online No. 25, and spraying champagne on a Sunday afternoon in Adelaide.
For Bryce Fullwood, he recovered extremely well and maturely, to finish in 17th after being fired into the wall mid-race. He kept cool calm and collected despite the trying circumstances.
The podium, the team’s 25th on the streets of Adelaide, is a dream start to the new chapter, and a welcome start to the 2020 championship.
The day started with Bryce unable to make it out of Q1, which put him 17th on the grid, while Chaz progressed from Q2 into the shootout.
He moved from seventh to fourth, a great starting position for the 250km, 78-lap race.
On the Car 25 side of the garage, Chaz pitted from sixth at the first round of stops under safety car, where the team elected to long-fill him. While it put him in traffic, he was able to pass cars, and find clean air.
That turned out to be a genius move, as the fill-time advantage he had over those in front came to the fore after the second stop, moving from eighth into third.
The pressure was relentless for the last 35-laps. A pit stop issue for Shane van Gisbergen meant he had to stop a third time, and advanced Chaz into second.
He held Waters at arm’s length behind him for the closing stages, before standing on the podium for the first time as a Walkinshaw Andretti United driver.
Lap 1 was chaos, and despite three-wheeling the Mobil 1 Middy’s Racing No. 2 past an accident, Bryce moved up to 16th.
During the middle stint, it all changed. After managing to get past Macauley Jones, he found himself in the fence a corner later thanks to contact.
A kid in his first race ever, stuck in the fence could have thrown in the towel, but he pressed on and finished well.
Round 1 has been a real positive, but there’s still a lot of work to do. We now head to the Grand Prix in two weekend’s time, ready for four races around Albert Park.
CHAZ MOSTERT
“Today was unbelievable. I didn’t expect that after yesterday. We had a good day on Saturday but to get a podium today was outstanding.
“In saying that, there’s plenty of things we can improve on, but it’s great to come out of Adelaide with a good bank of points and a shiny trophy. All things considered; it’s a dream start to the new chapter we are on.
“We want to make sure this is the norm, inside that top-five, and challenging for podiums.”
BRYCE FULLWOOD
“Another tough afternoon really after it was looking really positive.
“The car was good, we were making good progress forward, but it wasn’t to be.
“I can’t thank the team enough for their work this weekend and this year getting me comfortable. The first event is under my belt now, so we can reset, and head into the Grand Prix with good data and more laps. Looking forward to it.”
