It was a historic day for the Shell V-Power Racing Team as Brodie Kostecki finished in second in the team's milestone race.
Starting from P2, Kostecki took the lead from the race start, beating the pole sitter off the line. From there, Kostecki was able to control the race until the pit stop sequence began.
Kostecki opted to run with a four tyre change while th eventual race winner decided to gamble on a two tyre stop - ultimately holding position through the quicker pit stop cycle.
That P2 finish saw Kostecki extend his Championship lead over his nearest rivals, banking valuable points in the first of four races for the Christchurch hit out.
Meanwhile, Rylan Gray continued to impress in his rookie season - the 19-year-old qualifying P16, before showing solid pace in the afternoon's race where he would end up finishing 14th.
Saturday at Christchurch will see two races take place in the afernoon, before a final race on Sunday wraps up the New Zealand double header.
Race 10
Brodie Kostecki - P2
Rylan Gray - P14
Friday in pictures:
