Brodie Kostecki has fired a warning shot ahead of his Bathurst 1000 defence, pulling off a masterful drive against Tickford rival Cam Waters to claim a dominant victory at The Bend 500.
Supercars leader and pole-sitter Broc Feeney was nowhere near the top as Dick Johnson Racing star Kostecki beat Waters by 3.018 seconds to take out Sunday's 102-lap race.
It was 2023 Supercars champion Kostecki's second race win of the year and 10th career victory.
Last year's Bathurst 1000 winner Kostecki claimed the opening Enduro Cup race after resuming his formidable partnership with co-driver Todd Hazelwood, with Waters pairing up with veteran Mark Winterbottom to finish second.
Grove Racing youngster Matt Payne and five-time Bathurst 1000 winner Garth Tander were third.
Triple Eight ace Feeney finished in a sub-par 19th, while his teammate and defending champion Will Brown was fourth after starting 16th.
Still, Kostecki won't get too far ahead of himself.
"I'm not really too sure. We'll just have to see once we get there," Kostecki said of his Bathurst 1000 chances.
Hazelwood added: "We'll try to keep the good times rolling, obviously.
"To have this win today, it really does put a whole pep in your step."
Hazelwood, starting third, overtook Feeney's co-driver Jamie Whincup for top spot with a clean manoeuvre at the first turn on lap 15.
The Dick Johnson Racing co-driver never relinquished the lead in a flawless opening stint before handing the car over to Kostecki on lap 48.
A nightmare pit stop for seven-time Supercars champion Whincup derailed Feeney's race.
Whincup, then second, was kept at the garages for 40 seconds on lap 25 as the Triple Eight team struggled to refuel the No.88 Camaro.
Given just 18 litres of fuel, the 42-year-old returned to the fray in 18th place, before being forced to refuel again on lap 35.
Whincup, also Triple Eight team principal, dropped to second-last in 26th after his second pit stop.
He could only rise as high as 15th, veering off-track at turn 10 before handing over to Feeney on lap 58.
It's a return to the podium for Winterbottom after retiring from full-time driving last year.
The 2015 Supercars championship last finished in the top three driving for Team 18 at last year's Darwin Triple Crown.
"It's nice when your six-year-old kid is here and he doesn't think you're shit," Winterbottom joked.
Kostecki's teammate Will Davison did not enjoy the same success at The Bend, finishing 21st with co-driver Tony D'Alberto.
D'Alberto was hit with a five-second penalty for a pit-lane infringement, and another pit-lane penalty for breaching the speed limiter while at the garages.
Tickford's wildcard pairing of Craig Lowndes and Zach Bates were 16th.
THE BEND 500 RESULTS:
1. Brodie Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood (Dick Johnson Racing)
2. Cam Waters/Mark Winterbottom (Tickford Racing)
3. Matt Payne/Garth Tander (Grove Racing)
4. Will Brown/Scott Pyne (Triple Eight Race Engineering)
5. Nick Percat/Tim Slade (Matt Stone Racing)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight) 2130pts
2. Matt Payne (Grove) -158
3. Will Brown (Triple Eight) -188
4. Cam Waters (Tickford) -306
5. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti United) -552
