Kostecki nabs pole after delay, Feeney woes persist

Sebastian Tan |

Brodie Kostecki has taken pole position for the opening race of the Townsville 500.
Brodie Kostecki has taken pole position for the opening race of the Townsville 500.

Brodie Kostecki has snared pole position for the first race of the Townsville 500 after a police operation threatened to derail the start of the weekend’s action. 

Kostecki will start in first position ahead of the 35-lap 100km sprint race at the Reid Street Park Circuit after his lap time of one minute 12.821 seconds stood the test on Friday.

It’s the Dick Johnson Racing star’s fifth pole of the season and is a welcome rebound after he missed the final race of the Darwin Triple Crown last round because of illness and back issues. 

But the biggest shock of the qualifying session came from championship leader Broc Feeney, who will start the sprint race in 16th after he complained his tyres couldn’t grip onto the track.  

It led to his worst-ever Townsville qualifying performance and continues his subpar form after his best result was fifth place in Darwin. 

Tickford Racing’s Cam Waters will begin Friday’s race in second place with Matt Payne and last year’s champion Chaz Mostert in third and fourth respectively.

After battling through steering issues during practice, Thomas Randle rallied to finish fifth while Grove Racing’s Kai Allen was just behind him. 

Walkinshaw TWG’s Ryan Wood will start in seventh place on the grid with Jack Le Brocq, Jayden Ojeda and James Golding rounding off the top 10.

Feeney
Broc Feeney had problems with his tyres that led to his lowly position. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

Feeney’s Triple Eight Race Engineering teammate Will Brown will start in a paltry 19th position while Darwin’s final race winner Anton De Pasquale was 14th. 

Earlier, practice was delayed after a suspicious package was found near the track, resulting in a police operation. 

The package was deemed a false alarm by police, although practice was delayed by about 20 minutes. 

“Supercars appreciates the swift response of emergency services and thanks fans and stakeholders for their understanding,” a Supercars statement said. 

The Townsville 500 shapes as a crucial point in the competition’s calendar, being the third-last weekend before the Sprint Cup winner is crowned.

The Sprint Cup champion is guaranteed a finals berth.

Drivers will light up the grid when the first race of the weekend gets underway at 4.15 pm. 

RACE 20 QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1. Brodie Kostecki (Dick Johnson Racing)

2. Cam Waters (Tickford Racing)

3. Matt Payne (Grove Racing)

4. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw TWG)

5. Thomas Randle (Tickford Racing)

AAP