Chaz: 7th
Nick: 19th

Chaz Mostert and Nick Percat fought hard to the end with both cars up nine positions until Car 2 had a steering rack controlled component issue.

It wasn’t the start to the day the team wanted with both the Mobil 1 NTI Racing No. 2 and Mobil 1 Optus Racing No. 25 struggling for tyre grip in qualifying, putting them towards the rear of the grid.

Race 19 would be a tough one, starting position is key for sprint races so Nick Percat and Chaz Mostert needed to give it their all to be in the fight.

As the lights went out, Chaz and Nick both got off to an incredible start, making strong passes in the opening lap, up five positions each.

Yesterday’s race proved that the track is hard on the Dunlop Soft tyre so it’s important to look after tyres, Nick and Chaz preserved their tyres in the first half of the stint so was able to charge their way forward up to P17 and 7 respectively.

Halfway through the race, both cars came into the pits to take four tyres with a 15-lap sprint to the end.

Just after pitting, Car 2 suffered a steering rack-controlled component issue and Nick slipped down the pack to P19.

Late in the race, Chaz showed strong race pace, charging his way up the field, making aggressive passes to finish up P7, up nine positions from where he started, making him the mover and shaker of the race.

There is more homework to do on the quali car before heading to The Bend, where cars will hit the track on Saturday August 19.

Nick Percat

“What a special weekend being able to celebrate an amazing 30-year partnership with Mobil 1, the cars looked great on track with their special commemorative bonnets.

“Not a great weekend for the Mobil 1 NTI Racing No. 2, the power steering went midway through the race, we made up six spots in the race, so it shows the car speed and potential is there.

“We will regroup back in Clayton and get ready for The Bend in Adelaide, which is a bit of a home race for me, so looking forward to getting out there.”

Chaz Mostert

“Overall pretty solid weekend for us in the Mobil 1 Optus No. 25, good haul of points and a trophy is something we can definitely build on.

“Our achilles heel is still qualifying, I think we had a strong race car all weekend, but we are just making our life a little hard at the moment with our quali speed.

“We will keep digging in and working hard before The Bend in a couple weeks time and come out swinging.”