Supercars championship contender Chaz Mostert has shown remarkable composure after a dramatic practice session crash that threatened to derail his Adelaide campaign before it properly began.
Wall Contact Halts Practice Session
The Walkinshaw Andretti United star experienced a major setback during Friday's final practice when his Ford Mustang made heavy contact with the concrete barriers at the Adelaide street circuit. The incident occurred at turn eight, where Mostert first hit the inside wall before the left rear of his car slammed into the opposing barrier.
The collision caused significant steering damage, forcing the veteran driver to limp back to pit lane as his team assessed the extensive repairs needed.
Mostert Remains Unfazed Despite Setback
Despite the dramatic incident, the 33-year-old maintained his characteristic cool in the garage, acknowledging the situation could have been far worse as he chases his maiden Supercars crown.
"The car hooked up a little bit too good for me. I didn't expect to be going on my first flyer," Mostert explained to Fox Sports afterwards. "I've been struggling a little bit with the balance at turn eight, but the tyre really livened it up a bit."
Showing his trademark positive attitude, Mostert added: "I'd rather get my little scrape with the wall done nice and early with the weekend. I'm just glad I kinda saved it a little bit. It obviously hurt the car a bit, but it could've been a lot worse."
Competitive Field Sets Stage for Intense Weekend
Prior to his incident, Mostert had been showing strong pace, sitting at the top of the timesheets with a lap time of one minute and 19.460 seconds. The championship contender currently sits second in the standings behind Triple Eight rival Broc Feeney, with defending champion Will Brown and rookie Kai Allen completing the final four.
Tickford ace Cam Waters, seeking redemption after being eliminated at Sandown in the previous round, topped the practice session by setting a record time of 1:18.7884 ahead of Allen. The Grove Racing youngster trailed Waters by just 0.0445 seconds in an impressive statement to his championship rivals, while Feeney secured third fastest time.
Mostert's team worked quickly to make repairs, allowing him to return to the track to test the fixes and confront the challenging turn eight again. "They didn't get a chance to look at the left front," Mostert noted. "But got back out, and got through the demons at turn eight again and important to get back out there before quali."
The session sets the stage for an exciting qualifying and race schedule, with a two-part qualifying session scheduled for 1.10pm AEDT, followed by the opening 32-lap, 100km race at 4.50pm.
