Kostecki wins at Albert Park

Brodie Kostecki converted pole into victory at Albert Park, comfortably leading home Matthew Payne after a dominant drive in Thursday’s race.

“Today we executed, everyone at Shell-V Power Racing is working incredibly hard,” said Kostecki.

Making it all more impressive was Kostecki’s illness cloud.

“I had a bit of chuck (at the end of qualifying), but it was a sick lap,” Kostecki joked.

After qualifying on pole position, Kostecki jumped away from James Golding, who was quickly overtaken by Broc Feeney and Matthew Payne.

Kai Allan was spun on lap 1, and was 24th after the first lap, however a fantastic drive saw him record an eleventh place finish.

Kostecki’s car looked quickest, as he was able to eke out a gap to the car behind.

The win was his first since the BP Adelaide Grand Final’s 50k race on the Friday, and puts him fourth in the championship and first in the hunt for the Larry Perkins trophy.

A brief moment of drama came when Jackson Walls ended up in the gravel at Turn 11, bringing out the safety car.

Attention turned to the front to see what Kostecki would do.

“Not much (was going through my head),” the DJR driver said.

“I was having fun with no one in front of me.”

However with more pace than anyone else, Kostecki disappeared away from the chasing pack.

Payne finished ahead of Feeney, and now leads the championship from the Red Bull driver.

“It’s the first time for us to lead the championship, you know everyone’s been working really hard,” said Payne.

“It’s gonna be about consistency (to continue to lead the championship) that’ll get you the most points.”

The result continues Kostecki’s strong form at Albert Park and puts him firmly in contention for the Larry Perkins Trophy heading into the remaining races.