SYDNEY AAP Feb 8 – Chaz Mostert has thrown down the gauntlet to his V8 Supercar rivals by storming to victory in the Super Shootout at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The 2014 Bathurst champion claimed victory by just 0.0087 of a second over Shane van Gisbergen, with James Courtney finishing third.

Mostert was driving the FG X Falcon this weekend and praised his support team for getting the car ready for the start of the season.

“The guys at PRA (Prodrive Racing Australia) have done a massive job over Christmas, they didn’t have a day off so it’s really rewarding for those guys to get a new car on the track,” he said.

“It hasn’t skipped a beat all weekend and when the time counts we could do a quick lap in it so it’s a bit better than what we had last year with the FG.”

It was a strong afternoon for PRA as Mark Winterbottom finished fourth. After James Moffat set the pace early with his 1.31.11, Mostert stormed into the lead with an impressive 1.30.65 and held on for the win.

Six time champion Jamie Whincup finished a disappointing 12th.

In his return to the track following a nasty crash at the Sydney 500, Craig Lowndes finished sixth with 1.31.26.

The heat wreaked havoc with the times as several drivers struggled with the lack of grip, with the track temperature staying close to 50 degrees throughout the day.

Earlier, Winterbottom was the standout in the morning practice session.

The conditions stopped many of the drivers from showcasing their best, but Winterbottom belied the oppressive heat to shoot to the top of the leaderboard with a little under four minutes to go.

Saturday saw a clean sweep for Nissan Motorsport with the Kelly brothers splitting the honours for the day’s sessions.

Rick Kelly claimed the opening two sessions, while older brother Todd snuck home ahead of Courtney in the third.