Chaz Mostert is set to be back in his Bostik Audi from Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series qualifying, tomorrow morning, after a crash in Practice 1 at Bathurst.
The series leader slipped on oil and spun into the wall on the climb towards Reid Park, which saw the #25 RS 3 sidelined from the day’s second session.
Mostert, who was seen helping the Melbourne Performance Centre crew following the crash, will be back on-track tomorrow after repair work off-site this afternoon.
“I think we will be right for qualifying,” MPC boss Troy Russell told Speedcafe.com.
“The car is at the panel shop now just getting the rear rail pulled back down; that was the only real sort of structural damage [and] the rest is bolt-ons, basically.
“So, we have got everything in the truck to repair it.
“The boys are just getting everything prepped here at the moment so that when the car comes back, we can tear around and put it all back together and get it on the patch and do a set-up.
“We’ll be right for qualifying.”
Russell is also confident there will not be any lingering effects from the hit.
“Well, surprisingly all of the wheels were actually still pointing in the right direction, so it was all basically cosmetic, so it’s not too bad,” he explained.
“It will be right.”
The sister #75 Audi was out of action all day as ace German driver Christopher Mies waited in his accommodation due to a newly imposed quarantine requirement, which arose as a result of the Omicron strain of COVID-19.
Despite hopes he might be allowed out slightly early, Mies will now miss TCR qualifying, but will be allowed to take the start of Race 1.
“He’s got to do his 72 hours’ quarantine,” Russell confirmed.
“We have got an exemption for him to start the races without doing qualifying, so he’ll just do his 72 hours and be at the track and away we go.”
Mostert is 106 points to the good at the top of the standings, with yet another MPC Audi driver in Luke King being his nearest rival.
The 2014 Bathurst 1000 driver could wrap up the title in Race 1 of the weekend, after which he is expected to sit out the remainder of TCR and fully focus on his drive in the Great Race with Walkinshaw Andretti United.
Qualifying 1 starts at 09:30 local time/AEDT, with Qualifying 2 to finalise the top 10 on the grid straight after.
VIDEO: Chaz Mostert speaks on practice crash