Kostecki back on pole, Triple Eight stumbles again

Sebastian Tan |

Will Brown’s decision to miss a large chunk of qualifying has cost him and his Triple Eight team.
Will Brown’s decision to miss a large chunk of qualifying has cost him and his Triple Eight team.

Brodie Kostecki has given himself the best possible chance to rebound from a tight loss in the Townsville 500’s sprint race by securing pole position for the second Supercars race of the weekend.

The Dick Johnson Racing star was the second-to-last driver in the top-10 shootout and he snared his sixth pole of the season by 0.109 seconds before the 200km, 68-lap race later on Saturday.

It comes after Kostecki fell just short of Cam Waters in Friday’s nail-biting sprint race after a horror start at the Reid Park Street Circuit.

The 28-year-old is also looking to bounce back from a disastrous Darwin Triple Crown last round, where he missed the final race of the weekend with illness and back issues.

Championship leader Matt Payne finished second in the shootout, boosting his chances of making another podium after overtaking Broc Feeney to go top of the standings after coming third in Friday’s race.

Payne
Matt Payne finished second in the shootout. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

The biggest losers of the qualifying session were Triple Eight Race Engineering. Broc Feeney finished a paltry 18th, continuing his poor form after coming 10th in Friday’s race.

His teammate Will Brown’s gamble to miss a large chunk of the second phase qualifying after clocking the quickest time in the opening lap didn’t work, and he’ll start 12th on the grid.

Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle produced a stunning lap in the shootout to start third, helping his hopes of winning an elusive first solo victory.

Kiwi Ryan Wood came fourth, followed by Waters and Aaron Cameron in fifth and sixth respectively.

Grove Racing’s Kai Allen will start seventh with James Golding in eighth after he suffered a scare in the second phase of qualifying when his motor refused to start.

Last year’s champion Chaz Mostert finished ninth with rookie Rylan Gray in 10th – his best qualifying result.

Matt Stone Racing’s Jack Le Brocq also had a qualifying session to forget and will start in 20th.

The Townsville 500 shapes as a crucial point on the Supercars calendar, being the third-last weekend before the Sprint Cup winner is crowned.

The Sprint Cup champion is guaranteed a finals berth.

Drivers will return for Race 21 at 3.05 pm.

RACE 21 TOP-10 SHOOTOUT RESULTS:

1. Brodie Kostecki (Dick Johnson Racing)

2. Matt Payne (Grove Racing)

3. Thomas Randle (Tickford Racing)

4. Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw TWG Racing)

5. Cam Waters (Tickford Racing)

AAP