Chaz’s toughest choice
Mostert determined to make right call on future
GOLD Coast-based Ford star Chaz Mostert knows the decision over his Supercars future is a big one.
The 27-year-old (pictured) is off-contract at the end of 2019 and admits he’s yet to decide if he wants to continue his long association with Tickford Racing or seek a new challenge at another team.
Mostert has been with the former Ford factory outfit since 2011, first as a developMostert ment series driver and then full-time in Supercars since 2014.
He won the 2014 Bathurst 1000 with the team, but said earlier this year he wanted to be convinced he could be given a championship-winning car before he committed beyond 2019.
With a new Ford Mustang at his disposal, Mostert heads into this weekend’s Perth Subut perNight event third on the championship standings with seven topfive finishes from 10 races including one win.
Rumours are rife Mostert is a target for DJR Team Penske to replace Fabian Coulthard the Ford man said he was no closer to finalising his future at this stage.
“We’ve still got a lot of water to go under the bridge for this year, lot of races to go, so I don’t know,” he said.
“I just want to make sure I make the best decision where I’m going next. It is a very tough decision ... I feel the next decision – to stay or go – I really need to make sure I’m putting my best foot forward.”
DJR Team Penske owner Roger Penske is in Perth for this weekend’s SuperNight event but Mostert refused to speculate on whether he’d been speaking to the American billionaire. “Is he?” Mostert said when told Penske was at the event. “He’s the captain, isn’t he? I just like meeting new people ... maybe you could introduce me?”
and his fellow Ford drivers believe the unique nature of Perth’s Barbagallo circuit will make it hard to grasp the full impact of aerodynamic changes to the Mustang at this week’s event.
“It’s such a different track to where we have run for the rest of the year,” Mostert said.
“Maybe the grip might mask a lot of our problems ... this type of surface always makes cars that might be a little bit out of the window, or near the window, straight into it.”