Waters on pole, sick Supercars star out of Darwin
Sebastian Tan |
Cam Waters has given himself a golden opportunity to claim the Darwin Triple Crown after securing pole position for the final Supercars race at Hidden Valley Raceway.
The Tickford Racing star was the second-to-last driver in the top-10 shootout, and he snared first position by a mere 0.061 seconds before the 200km, 70-lap race later on Sunday.
The pole is Waters’ second of the weekend and comes as he looks to win the coveted Triple Crown for the first time, which is given to the racer who accumulates the highest number of points across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Grove Racing’s Kai Allen currently leads the standings with 175 points after winning Saturday’s 200km race, with Waters just behind on 170 points.
Brodie Kostecki is sitting out Sunday’s action because of a viral infection, dashing the Dick Johnson Racing star’s hopes of claiming his sixth race win of the season.
The 28-year-old came into the weekend battling illness, and after Saturday’s race, the 2023 champion slumped to the ground and was rushed to the doctor.
Before qualifying on Sunday, the Dick Johnson Racing team confirmed that he would be replaced by his endurance co-driver Todd Hazelwood, who won the Bathurst 1000 with Erebus Motorsport and Kostecki in 2024.
“Brodie was assessed by Supercars medical delegate doctor Carl Le this morning following the virus and dehydration that caused him to be taken to the medical centre after finishing in third place in Saturday’s Race 18,” the team’s statement said.
“Although he received clearance to drive from that issue, lingering after effects have rendered him unable to participate in the rest of the weekend.”
Hazelwood will start 13th on the grid while Grove Racing’s Matt Payne finished second in the shootout, with Team 18’s Anton De Pasquale in third.
Championship leader Broc Feeney secured fourth as he aims to bounce back from a poor start to his Triple Crown defence, where he finished 14th and seventh.
Last year’s champion Chaz Mostert came fifth, followed by Will Brown, Jack Le Brocq, Cameron Hill, Zach Bates and Andre Heimgartner.
Allen struggled with brake issues in the opening phase of qualifying and will pay the price, starting from 12th on the grid.
Drivers will return for Race 19 at 2.40 pm (local time), where the winner will earn 120 points.
RACE 19 TOP-10 SHOOTOUT RESULTS:
1. Cam Waters (Tickford Racing)
2. Matt Payne (Grove Racing)
3. Anton De Pasquale (Team 18)
4. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight Race Engineering)
5. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw TWG Racing)
AAP