Chaz Mostert has put the spin job on Brodie Kostecki firmly at his own door, but the fallout from Christchurch is following the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver into the next Repco Supercars round in Tasmania.
The flashpoint came in the dying laps of the Christchurch Super440 finale, when Kostecki dive-bombed Mostert at Turn 2. Mostert retaliated moments later, tipping the reigning champion into a spin. Stewards handed Mostert a 30-second post-race penalty and Kostecki, who had walked into the weekend leading the championship, walked out of it second to Broc Feeney.
Mostert has since gone on the front foot. Asked whether the rivalry was still simmering, the WAU driver did not duck the consequences.
"That's all on me," Mostert said.
"Brodie is a champion of our sport. He gives his all on and off [the track]."
He stopped short of saying the matter was settled, conceding the next round will tell the story.
"I guess we'll find out at the next event," Mostert said. "We lost a lot of points over that one."
Kostecki was less forgiving in his initial assessment, labelling the contact "malicious" and pointing out it was not the first time the pair had crossed swords. DJR co-owner Ryan Story echoed the sentiment in striking terms when he was asked about Mostert's broader comments after the race.
"Some of the comments from Chaz were frankly alarming and I think people can read into them what they will," Story said.
"I thought Brodie's remarks after the race and subsequent to that were absolutely on point. I endorse everything he said."
"His comments were unbecoming of a reigning champion."
Story added that DJR team principal Mark Fenning had checked the move with driver standards observer Craig Baird, who confirmed Kostecki's lunge at Turn 2 was "fair game" and "a done deal" before the contact further down the lap.
The story now shifts to Symmons Plains, with Tasmania track action beginning Friday, May 22. The 30-second penalty has compressed Mostert's championship cushion and gifted Kostecki a free pass to come out swinging on the short, abrasive Tassie circuit, where overtaking is at a premium and contact is rarely an accident.
Mostert insists he never wanted the outcome that played out in pit lane and at the press microphone, but he is also realistic about the points he has bled. The reigning champion he tipped into the gravel will be staring at his mirrors in every braking zone for the rest of the year.
"I guess we'll find out," Mostert repeated when pushed on whether the feud was over.
The wider championship picture is unforgiving. Feeney has now inherited the points lead, Will Brown is hovering, and Kostecki is starting his Tasmania campaign carrying both lost points and a grudge. For Mostert, the apology is the easy part — the hard part is racing the man he wronged on a circuit that almost demands wheel-to-wheel combat.
---
*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/mostert-kostecki-tasmania-rematch). Visit for full coverage.*