Supercars champion Kostecki claims Bathurst 1000 pole
Brodie Kostecki has stunned the Supercars paddock with a dazzling Shootout lap to take pole position for Sunday’s Bathurst 1000.
The reigning Supercars Champion put a troubled season on the back burner to set the fastest qualifying lap of the weekend, his Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro lapping the 6.2km track in 2m05.5119s.
āI wasn’t sure I was going to get it, it was not my best lap around here all weekend,ā said Kostecki, who will share his car with Todd Hazelwood.
āI had a bad tyre vibration, I was starting to get double vision at one point. I wasn’t feeling very well yesterday and I actually watched the [earlier] co-drivers’ session from the house.ā
Cameron Waters looked to have Kostecki’s measure when he was the second-last man out but the Tickford Racing Ford looked to lose a little speed in the third and final sector, and will line up second in the car he will share with James Moffat.
āI really wanted that but Brodie’s lap was awesome,ā said Waters. āWe are in the mix and the front row is pretty good. I have been focusing pretty hard on the race car and it feels good.ā
Broc Feeney, who missed out on provisional pole position in Friday’s qualifying session because of a late red flag, finished the session in third place, sharing the Triple Eight Chevrolet with Jamie Whincup.
Richie Stanaway delivered a brilliantĀ performance to seal fourth. As the first man out in the single-lap session the 32-year-old New Zealander set a benchmark time of 2m05.9286s in his Ford before returning to the Grove Racing garage to watch as the next five drivers tried but failed to match his time.
Stanaway, who does not have a confirmed Supercars seat for 2025, had a wild moment at the first corner but stormed over the rest of the first sector.
After setting the fastest time in Friday qualifying Stanaway’s team-mate Matt Payne dropped to seventh in the shootout after touching the wall at the exit of Forrest’s Elbow.
Points leader Will Brown will start from fifth on the grid for Triple Eight ahead of Erebus’ Jack Le Brocq, whose Chevrolet touched the wall on the way up the hill.
Anton De Pasquale gave the hard-working Dick Johnson Racing Ford team some comfort with the eighth fastest time, while Chaz Mostert will be right behind him in the Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford.
Tenth place went to Andre Heimgartner who, in his first-ever Bathurst shootout, ran wide at the first corner, losing about eight seconds. He will share the Brad Jones Racing Chevrolet with Declan Fraser.
The Supercars will return to the hallowed Bathurst track at 8:15am, Australian Eastern Daylight Savings time, before the start of the 161-lap classic, set for 11:30am.
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