There is no love lost between Ford teammates Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert, with the pair again tangling at Mount Panorama, ending their Bathurst 1000 hopes.
Waters was fuming after Mostert sabotaged his Ford team’s Great Race dream for the third-straight year, claiming the incident on Sunday denied him at least a podium finish.
Waters and Mostert – looming in third and fourth respectively – appeared as major threats to eventual winner Scott McLaughlin but came into contact, ploughing into the gravel together with 38 of the race’s 161 laps left, prompting a safety car.
Mostert made contact with Waters and both ended up in the gravel at The Chase, much to the disbelief of their livid team bosses in the same Ford garage.
Mostert incurred a pit-lane penalty and eventually placed 16th, while Waters was 21st in the 26-strong field, effectively last after five drivers failed to finish.
While Ford team bosses were clearly not impressed, their disappointment was nothing compared to what a tearful Waters endured.
“I’m just absolutely gutted. No words really – it’s just disappointing,” he said.
“We were trucking along for a podium, we were fuel saving and Chazzy was obviously trying to race me to pass me. He was meant to be fuel saving and, I don’t know, he’s just made a mistake.
“I don’t know what to say; the car was fast; we should have been on the podium.”
Remarkably, it was the third Bathurst race in a row the pair had clashed and the second-consecutive event after they collided last round in Pukekohe, New Zealand.
“It’s a common occurrence between us,” Waters lamented.
“It’s just s**t – it’s s**t for the team. They put in so many hours and deserve so much better than that.
“We should have been up there with one car, maybe two on the podium today, and we’ve ended up both in the dirt.”