Sunday, 22 February 2026

Spindle Failure leaves Golding last at Sydney

Copyright: Supercars
 James Golding (#7 Cooldrive Distribution Ford) finished last for the 6th time. He finished 3 laps down. The finish came in his 165th start.

James Golding has been in and out of Supercars, debuting with the other four in 2017: Richie Stanaway, Jack LeBrocq, Todd Hazelwood, and Anton De Pasquale. He would be a co-driver in 2017 and run a few wildcard races for Garry Rodgers Motorsports before debuting. Golding would race for 2 years, with Garry Rodgers Motorsport closing shop at the end of the year, leaving Golding out of a ride. He would spend the next two years as co-driver for Team 18. Golding replaced Garry Jacobson at Premiair Hire Racing halfway through 2022. Golding would leave Premiair Hire Racing for the Blanchard Racing Team in 2026, and immediately would pay benefits, getting pole in the first race.

Macauley Jones (#96 Alpha Theta Toyota) would start last.

However, Cooper Murray (#99 Total Energies Chevrolet) stalled on the grid with a starter motor issue, dropping to last.

Murray would join the race, but half a minute behind the pack.

Pit stops caused changes to who was last. First was David Reynolds (#20 Snowy River Caravans Chevrolet) after his lap 14 pit stop.

The following lap, Jackson Walls (#11 Competitive Ford) dropped to last when he took his pit stop.

Lap 16 saw Cooper Murray pit and return to last.

Lap 22 saw Jobe Stewart (#9 Chiko Chevrolet) suffer a loose wheel, forcing a pit stop that dropped Stewart to last, a lap down.

Lap 28 saw James Golding, running in 5th place, have a left-rear tire come off his car on Lap 28, triggering the Safety Car and costing him 3 laps. Golding would fall to last.

The restart was chaotic. Brodie Ksotecki (#38 Shell V-Power Ford) hit Anton De Pasquale (#18 DeWalt/Fuchs Chevrolet). De Pasquale would subsequently run into Will Brown (#888 Red Bull/Ampol Ford), sending the latter two into the Bottom Five.

However, Brown and De Pasquale would work their way above the bottom five. Will Brown copped a 15-second time penalty for a restart infringement, but because Murray, Fraser, and Ojeda lost a bet on wets, Brown avoided a bottom five finish.

Lap 45 saw 2nd place Kai Allen (#26 Penrite Oils Ford) suffer steering failure, sending him to the garage and losing 3 laps in repairs.

Stewart, Fraser and Murray would complete the bottom five.

 

 

The Bottom Five

James Golding

49 Laps

Running

Kai Allen

49 Laps

Running

Jobe Stewart

51 Laps

Running

Declan Fraser

52 Laps

Running

Cooper Murray

52 Laps

Running

 

Driver’s Championship

Pos

Driver

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1

Cooper Murray

1

1

2

2T

Chaz Mostert

1

1

1

2T

James Golding

1

1

1

4T

Macauley Jones

0

2

2

4T

Jobe Stewart

0

2

2

6T

Andre Heimgartner

0

1

1

6T

Kai Allen

0

1

1

8

Rylan Gray

0

0

2

9T

Jayden Ojeda

0

0

1

9T

Ryan Wood

0

0

1

9T

Declan Fraser

0

0

1

 

Team’s Championship

Pos

Driver

#

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1

Erebus Motorsports

2

1/2

3/2

4/2

2

Walkinshaw Andretti United

2

1/2

1/2

2/2

3

Blanchard Racing Team

2

1/2

1/2

1/2

4

Brad Jones Racing

3

1/3

3/3

3/3

5

Premair Racing

2

0

1/2

2/2

6

Grove Racing

2

0

1/2

1/2

7

Dick Johnson Racing

2

0

0

2/2

 

Manufacturer’s Championship

Pos

Manufacturer

#

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1

Toyota

5

1/5

3/5

3/5

2

Chevrolet

8

1/8

5/8

7/8

3

Ford

11

1/11

2/11

4/11

 

Saturday, 21 February 2026

Tyre sensor breach leaves Mostert Disqualified at Sydney

Copyright: Supercars

Chaz Mostert (#1 Optus/Mobil 1 Toyota) finished last in the second race at Sydney Motorsport Park after being disqualified for a tyre sensor breach. This is Mostert’s 11th last-place finish in his 380th start. It’s been two-and-a-half years since Mostert finished last.

 

Chaz Mostert is a veteran of the sport, now in his 12th full-time season. 2015 would’ve been a full-time season, but had a massive crash at Bathurst 2015 that snapped his leg in half and ended his season. He raced in 26 races in 2013 for Dick Johnson Racing, then moved to Ford Performance Racing/Rod Nash Racing/Tickford Racing for 6 years. Mostert moving to Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2020. Despite a few up and down seasons, Mostert inherited the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship after Red Bull Racing choked it away with engine issues.

 

Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Toyota) finished last after engine failure with 8 of 52 laps completed. The finish came in Andre’s 304th start.

Andre Heimgartner is a veteran of the sport, on his 11th full-time season. He started in 2016 for Super Black Racing, but lost his ride in 2017 and only ran as co-driver for Brad Jones Racing that year.

Heimgartner competed for Kelly Racing for four seasons, two in Nissan and two in Ford. He would switch manufacturers and raced a Holden for Brad Jones Racing starting in 2022. When Brad Jones Racing joined Toyota, Andre stayed.

Andre was 16th in Practice 1. He improved to 14th in qualifying.

 

Jack LeBrocq (#4 Sherrin Rentals/Tyrepower Chevrolet) started the race last. However, he wouldn’t stay last long and would finish 9th.

At turn 1, there was contact between three drivers, including Jackson Walls (#11 Objective Ford), who would suffer a puncture from the contact.

The other two involved were fellow Bottom Five finishers Macauley Jone (#96 Alpha Theta Toyota) and Rylan Gray (#38 Shell V-Power Ford).

 

On lap 9, running in the mid-pack, Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Toyota) would slow with engine failure near Turn 10. The failure triggered the only safety car of the race.

Shortly after, his teammate Macauley Jones would pull the #96 into the garage with under tray and brake duct damage. The damage cost Jones 3 laps.

Additional problems would hit during the pit stops, as Jayden Ojeda (#31 Mr. Umanji/Nulon Chevrolet) had a left-rear wheel come off. The tire loss would cost Ojeda a lap.

Rylan Gray and Jackson Walls would fill the last positions in the Bottom Five.

However, a tire sensor breach would cause disqualification for Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1/Optus Toyota). This elevates everyone a place and lifts Jackson Walls outside the Bottom Five.

 

 

The Bottom Five

Chaz Mostert

-52 Laps

Disqualified

Andre Heimgartner

8 Laps

Engine

Macauley Jones

49 Laps

Running

Jayden Ojeda

51 Laps

Running

Rylan Gray

52 Laps

Running

 

Driver’s Championship

Pos

Driver

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1T

Chaz Mostert

1

1

1

1T

Cooper Murray

1

1

1

3

Macauley Jones

0

2

2

4T

Andre Heimgartner

0

1

1

4T

Jobe Stewart

0

1

1

6

Rylan Gray

0

0

2

7

Jayden Ojeda

0

0

1

8

Ryan Wood

0

0

1

 

Team’s Championship

Pos

Driver

#

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1

Erebus Motorsports

2

1/2

1

1

2

Walkinshaw Andretti United

2

1/2

1/2

2/2

3

Brad Jones Racing

3

1/3

3/3

3/3

4

Premair Racing

2

0

1/2

1/2

5

Dick Johnson Racing

2

0

0

2/2

 

Manufacturer’s Championship

Pos

Manufacturer

#

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1

Toyota

5

1/5

3/5

3/5

2

Chevrolet

8

1/8

3/8

4/8

3

Ford

11

0

0

2/11