Old School Supercars

Brodie Kostecki survived to go two from two at Albert Park, holding off a fast finishing Matt Payne in Friday Supercars race.

However, chaos ruled.

Big hits, spins, lockups and door-to-door clashes were commonplace over the 19 laps as old school supercars roared through Albert Park.

It began almost immediately from the back of the grid when Zach Bates and Macauley Jones collected each other on lap one.

Both Triple Eight cars were aggressive, as both Broc Feeney and Will Brown got their elbows out.

Brown forced Cooper Murray into the gravel at turn 11 and was awarded a 15 second penalty for his transgressions.

Lap five saw Brodie Kostecki get past Matthew Payne, the move completed under braking as the Shell-V Mustang went down the inside of the Penrite entry at Turn 11.

“I was doing everything I could to be honest,” said Kosetcki.

“I was worried we were going to hurt a tire. with the pace that we were doing.

“Matt (Payne) was setting a really fast pace at the start and I just decided to go with him.”

Payne saw the red and white Mustang behind, and he thought that Kostecki was faster.

“I knew he was going to have a go,” said Payne.

“At that point in the race, I thought he was faster.

“I was making sure that we weren't going to compromise our position and slide ourselves back into the pack.”

Lap 11 saw Brown, Aaron Cameron, and Kai Allan involved in a robust exchange for positions at the bottom half of the top 10.

Brown tried to force Cameron off at the last corner, before Cameron pushed back against the Red Bull.

Kai Allan had been charging through the field in the Penrite Mustang, just as he had the day before. Attempting to split the battling pair, Allan was collected when Cameron defended against Brown’s move.

The result capped a dominant start to the weekend for Kostecki, putting the Shell-V Power Racing driver in prime position to claim the Larry Perkins Trophy.

For Kostecki, success in qualifying tomorrow remains crucial.

“I’m focused on not making a mistake to be honest,” he said.

“I got the car underneath me, which has been a really nice change.

“Everyone's been working really hard, so I'm just going to execute tomorrow.”

Payne continues to lead the championship after a second-placed finish, while Ryan Wood finished third.

For Wood, he gave Toyota its first podium.

“It's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes,” he said.

“I felt like today we were just in the right position and maximized what we could have done.”