Once worried his prime was past him, Chaz Mostert says he feels 21 again after breaking through in Perth for his first Supercars win in nearly two years.
Dominant since arriving at the West Australian track, pole-sitter Mostert went full-throttle to take out the first of two 55-lap races at Wanneroo Raceway.
It is the Melbourne local's first win since steering his Holden Commodore to victory at the Adelaide 500 in 2022.
Mostert, 32, didn't record a pole position or race win last season in his first year behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang, following the phasing out of the Commodore in the Gen3 era.
"No doubt last year was pretty hard for us and our team," Mostert said.
"When we came into Gen3, we didn't feel like we were being competitive ... so yes, just nice to get a win finally.
"It's been a while since my last one. We started to think, with all these young whippersnappers coming in that maybe I'm a little bit past it, but I feel 21 today, and I'm going to feel 21 tomorrow."
Front-row sitter Ryan Wood got the jump on Saturday to best his experienced teammate in the starting-grid battle, but Mostert easily surged back into the top spot on lap 16 and remained there until the chequered flag.
Wood lost his grip on a second-place finish after running into the dirt during a tense battle with Brown, before losing his chance for a maiden podium in the final lap.
The 20-year-old crossed the line in fourth after succumbing to immense pressure from Cam Waters (Tickford Racing) in the dying seconds, while Brown's Triple Eight teammate Broc Feeney had to settle for fifth.
"I was catching him (Wood) pretty quick. I just wanted to make sure I had some tyre left for him when I got to him," Waters said.
"He was trying as hard as he could and holding onto it. I could see that he had no grip left but we had an awesome battle and he also showed a heap of respect as well."
Defending champion Brodie Kostecki was never in contention for a podium finish and rolled to a disappointing 22nd.
The Erebus Motorsport driver was shunted off-track in the first lap after his fight for an inside position resulted in a bump with a rival car.
Drivers return to the racetrack for practice at 11.40am (AEST) before qualifying at 2pm.
Race nine, a 55-lap sprint over 133kms, is scheduled for 5.45pm.
RACE NINE RESULTS:
1. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti United)
2. Will Brown (Triple Eight Race Engineering)
3. Cam Waters (Tickford Racing)
4. Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw Andretti United)
5. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight Race Engineering)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
1. Will Brown - 952pts
2. Broc Feeney - 849pts
3. Chaz Mostert - 763pts
4. Nick Percat - 606pts
5. Matthew Payne - 606pts
