Tickford dominates, Kostecki rediscovers mojo, no full-time Frosty in 2025

The timeless adage of sun, surf and supercars was on display again at the Gold Coast 500 event, with the 2024 championship link-up period just around the corner and only one event remaining after that.

From the constant headlines in the driver market to Tickford’s dominance and the many gremlins several competitors faced throughout the weekend, here are the talking points from the Gold Coast 500.

Tickford dominates on Saturday

It was a sign of victory for Cameron Waters in Saturday’s Race 21 at the Surfer’s Paradise street circuit, dominating the 85-lap race from pole position ahead of teammate Thomas Randle.

9.4 seconds was the margin between the Monster Energy Mustang and its sister Castrol Mustang at the end of the 250km slog, with Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Broc Feeney taking a crucial third place in his quest for a
girls championship.

Waters took the start, while colleague Richie Stanaway on the front row was immediately under pressure from Chaz Mostert and had to run straight at the first chicane. Lack of balance for the Kiwi meant it wasn’t long before he succumbed to the likes of Mostert and James Golding.

Despite the cork-in-the-bottle Stanaway being out of the way, Waters’ pace in the opening stint was even above Mostert – whose Mobil 1 Optus Mustang was fast, although hampered by a technical gremlin throughout the race.

After the first round of stops, Randle came in behind his teammate, with Waters’ engineer Sam Potter advising his driver not to hold up Randle, prompting the 30-year-old to pick up his pace on his own. and hit the road.

Mostert rejoined Randle on lap 53 to take second again while Waters was more than four seconds ahead, although a technical gremlin affecting the gears of the two-time Bathurst winner’s car meant he lost any chance of winning at the second stop lost a podium.

On lap 56, Feeney undercut his direct rivals, putting him on the podium. Waters pitted on lap 65 and had a massive 11.5 second lead over Randle heading into the final stint.

Kostecki rediscovers mojo after Bathurst win

It was great to see the discussion surrounding Brodie Kostecki’s on-track performance after the tumultuous start to 2024 that the reigning champion and Erebus Motorsport have had. From the sensational dominance of the Bathurst 1000 with Todd Hazelwood to now a lights-to-flag victory in Race 22.

Kostecki stormed to pole position through the Top-Ten Shootout and then led the opening lines of Sunday’s 85-lap race. Former teammate Brown in the Red Bull Ampol Camaro got the better start, but the reigning Bathurst 1000 winner led the field through the first chicane.

An opening lap incident at Turn 11 saw the only Safety Car of the weekend, with Brown behind Kostecki and Mostert in pursuit of the championship leader. The Mobil 1 Optus Mustang was unfortunately taken out of contention by another pit lane tragedy – this time the fuel system.

This moved Feeney into the top three, with a chance of another podium finish for the 22-year-old. But with teammate Brown finishing ahead of him, crucial points went in favor of the championship leader.

The 180-point lead over Feeney now means they are mathematically the only two drivers in the hunt for a maiden title. If Brown maintains a 150-point lead over his teammate after Saturday in Adelaide, he will become champion.

A second win of the year for Erebus also strengthens them in the teams championship, where they will battle for fifth place with the Shell V-Power team. Tickford’s one-two on Saturday boosted their chances of finishing second behind Red Bull, with a 337-point margin over Walkinshaw Andretti United.

Gremlins of the Gold Coast

After Saturday’s Race 21, it was the first time in 45 races at the Gold Coast circuit that all drivers were classified at the end of the 85 laps. Also no retirements or major incidents that led to the Safety Car.

However, there were plenty of gremlins to befall some of the top contenders, especially Mostert, whose dismal weekend saw him disappear from championship contention entirely.

An acceleration sensor problem plagued the 32-year-old on Saturday, ultimately costing him a likely podium finish. Mostert lost a lot of time in the pits because he could not meet the minimum pit lane speed.

Matters were made worse on Sunday, when a mistake by WAU with their fuel system forced Mostert to make a third pit stop – but also drew the ire of Race Control, who investigated the team for using the wrong equipment.

While Brown heads into the Adelaide 500 in an impressive position for the championship, Saturday was less than ideal for the leader in the standings. Crashed during qualifying for Race 21 and raced back to seventh after being stuck behind David Reynolds.

Sandown 500 podium finisher Golding also had to damage a cross-threaded wheel nut on the left rear during his first pit stop in Race 21. The PremiAir Racing pilot’s high pace remained unfulfilled and a podium was gone.

There was typical chaos on track again on Sunday, with a Safety Car intervention early in proceedings following a multi-car incident at Turn 11. Stanaway sent rookie Ryan Wood into the barriers in his attempt to pass De Pasquale – with the Shell V-Power Mustang then spun into the concrete barrier by James Courtney.

No full-time ride for Frosty in 2025

2015 Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom announced in an emotional video on social media ahead of the Gold Coast event that he would not be driving full-time in the series next year.

There was speculation about the 43-year-old’s future as his incumbent Team 18 opted not to renew Frosty’s contract going forward, instead signing Anton De Pasquale, with an announcement that barely acknowledged their outgoing driver.

“Things don’t always go your way though, but life is about looking forward and that’s what I plan to do,” Winterbottom said cautiously in his announcement, clearly hinting at a supporting role for next year.

Winterbottom spent 21 years as a full-time Supercars driver, making his debut for Mark Larkham’s eponymous team before becoming a regular at the Blue Oval at FPR for almost a decade.

Along the way he racked up 41 wins, placing him eighth all-time in the championship standings behind the legendary Peter Brock, as well as a maiden title in 2015 and Bathurst victory in 2013 alongside Steven Richards.

Since moving to Team 18 in 2019, Frosty’s success has been meager – largely down to the formative nature of Charlie Schwerkolt’s team, although six years in life as a Holden/Chevrolet driver should have yielded more than just a solitary victory and a few podium finishes.

The market for co-drivers is growing

Frosty’s availability now adds a new target to the 2025 co-driver market, with the likes of Tim Slade, reigning Bathurst winner Hazelwood and co all looking for premium seats.

The rose-colored glass picture for Winterbottom is clear that he should rejoin a Ford team, to reunite with
the Blue Oval for whom much of his career was synonymous. That may well be the case, with a return to that touted Tickford organization.

Slade and Hazelwood could also be targets for DJR, who will lose Kai Allen to a full-time debut at Grove Racing and need a partner for their replacement for De Pasquale in Kostecki.

There are previous successes for Slade at DJR, having ridden alongside three-time champion Scott McLaughlin in 2020 – while insisting the winning combination of Hazelwood-Kostecki Bathurst could be an irresistible prospect for the Shell V-Power team.

Elsewhere, change could be coming at WAU after a difficult enduro season for 2021 Bathurst winner Lee Holdsworth in partnership with Mostert. The likes of Jayden Ojeda, who impressed in Erebus alongside Jack Le Brocq, could be a contender there, boasting racing fitness with his impressive schedule of GT3 races also worldwide.

Where there will be no change is Grove Racing, with Garth Tander signed up as both co-driver and mentor, as well as the Red Bull Ampol Racing team, which saw Scott Pye impress alongside Brown and seven-time Supercars. champion Jamie Whincup doesn’t look like he’s ready to give up that role alongside Feeney.