Young Kiwi Ryan Wood suffered heartache for the second consecutive race after a fuel leak caused him to withdraw early in the race, having qualified in pole position during the preceding top-10 shootout.
Wood was leading the Bathurst 1000 two weeks ago but his Walkinshaw-Andretti Mustang suffered mechanical failure with victory in sight.
Brodie Kostecki has crashed in qualifying at the Gold Coast 500.Credit: Getty Images
There was a sense of déjà vu on Saturday when the 21-year-old started dropping down the field on lap seven. He was a picture of frustration as he returned to the pits, knowing he will need a special performance in Sunday’s second race to stay alive in the title fight.
Earlier, former Supercars series champion Brodie Kostecki was involved in a nasty crash in qualifying that resulted in four photographers being taken to hospital.
The Dick Johnson Ford star lost control of his Mustang as he powered into the opening chicane, which has been causing chaos for most drivers during the practice and qualifying sessions.
He ploughed almost head-first into a concrete barrier, wrapped in a layer of car tyres. A host of photographers were stationed behind the barrier and absorbed at least part of the impact.
Four were taken to hospital – two reportedly with ankle injuries, one with an elbow injury and one with a head injury. All were reported to be in stable condition.
Supercars organisers reacted immediately by issuing a directive banning photographers from using that vantage point.
Interviewed by Fox Sports, Kostecki expressed concern for the photographers.
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“I am physically good but hope the people behind the barrier are OK, because there is some news that some were injured,” Kostecki said.
He explained that he “just clipped the tyre bundle and it went under the wheels and went straight in head first … a misjudgement by me, but you pay the price when you make a mistake here”.
Kostecki also crashed at the same point on the circuit during Friday’s practice session, but not as seriously. His crash on Saturday ended the qualifying session prematurely.
His mangled Mustang was ruled out of Saturday’s race and Dick Johnson Racing took the vehicle off-site for chassis repairs in a quest to get it back on track for Sunday’s second race.
Given the cut-throat nature of Supercars’ new elimination finals series, if Kostecki finishes outside the top seven on the Gold Coast, the 2023 series champion will bow out of the title race.
He admitted it was “not looking good” that his team could rebuild the mangled Mustang in time for Saturday’s main race.
Dick Johnson Racing said in a statement: “Brodie has been given the all-clear by the medical crew at the circuit, and now we will assess the damage with our hard-working crew … we sincerely hope the photographers and spectators are OK, and we’ve been in constant contact with Supercars to follow up on their well-being.”
Defending Supercars champion Will Brown also crashed out during the top-10 shootout and his mechanical crew will be working overnight to get him on track Sunday.
Camaro drivers Cooper Murray and Jaxon Evans were other unfortunate victims of the chicane, colliding heavily in the early rounds.
The Herald’s visit to the Gold Coast 500 was funded by Supercars Australia.
