Chaz Mostert reflects on the Christchurch Super440

The Supercars Christchurch Super 440 marked the first ever Supercars championship event held on New Zealand’s South Island, with the four-day event giving soaring highs and crushing twists at Ruapuna Raceway.

It was a spectacle the whole way through, with Walkinshaw TWG Racing and reigning Supercars champion Chaz Mostert driving his heart out over the four championship races.

Chaz provided the Optus team with a brief post weekend update, outlining his performance and current position in the championship.

“We finally made some inroads, especially with the race car, which we can build on for the next event. Everyone in here is hurting a bit tonight, but that's okay, we can use it going forward to make us stronger,” Chaz said.

“Woody (Ryan Wood) did such an incredible job these last two weeks, he should hold his head up high on what he and the whole team were able to achieve.”

The racing weekend began on Friday with a rescheduled race from the Taupō event, with Chaz coming home in eigth place, following a chaotic start and a tough battle through the second stint.

Races 11 and 12 of the season were both held on the Saturday. Chaz came home in P13 in Race 11. “despite fighting as hard as I could I just didn't have the speed to break away from the pack,” Chaz added.

In Race 12, the team switched to the SuperSoft tyre, which Chaz said was “always going to throw up a few question marks on strategy and degradation.” Noting that he fell on the wrong side of a few things, Chaz ended up placing P12.

Race 13 on Sunday was “a completely different story”, Chaz added, noting that the team put in a lot of hard work overnight to get the car feeling more responsive. The car was moving up-grid and ended up running fourth in the first stint.

But it all came undone following contact with Brodie Kostecki later in the race.

“Contact with Brodie late in the race earned me a 30-second penalty that dropped me to 17th. That one stings,” Chaz said. “The speed was genuinely there today and I'm proud of the effort, but we've just got to be cleaner.”

It was a mixed bag of a weekend, but Chaz reflected that the results don’t tell the full story of the progress being made.

“There were real signs of life this weekend and I'll be going into Tassie with a lot more confidence in where we're heading,” Chaz added. “Bring on Tassie.”

At the time of writing, Chaz stands at position 11 on the Supercars leaderboard for this season.

We can’t wait to see Walkinshaw TWG Racing take on the Tasmania Super 440 from May 22–24. As Optus marks five years partnering with the team, it’s about more than the racing - it’s about the unique moments and connections this partnership makes possible. From behind the scenes access to on the ground experiences in Launceston, we’re proud to create opportunities for fans and the local community to get closer to the team and the sport.

Optus’ commitment to the Walkinshaw TWG Racing team is driven by our deep passion for community. Through Supercars - one of Australia’s most iconic sporting platforms - we’re proud to help bring families, friends and fans together.