Davison tops Townsville qualifying, Brown and Kostecki miss shootout

The Shell V-Power Racing Team’s Davison set a very late 1:13.4114s in the 15-minute session which bumped 2023 Supercars champion Kostecki to 11th, while current championship leader Brown ended up only 13th.

Fords filled a top five which was covered by just 0.0426s, with Davison pipping Cam Waters, Thomas Randle, Chaz Mostert, and Anton De Pasquale.

Erebus Motorsport’s Jack Le Brocq took sixth in his Chevrolet, from Andre Heimgartner, Bryce Fullwood, Matt Payne, and Broc Feeney.

It was still a slightly overcast Townsville which greeted drivers for Qualifying for Race 13, in which Kostecki was quickest after the first flyers with a 1:13.6117s in the #1 Erebus Camaro.

He pitted immediately but team-mate Le Brocq (#9 Tyrepower Camaro) was still circulating and he earned top spot at the end of the first runs on a 1:13.5151s.

Three Ford drivers were next, with Tickford Racing’s Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang) on a 1:13.5385s, from De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) and Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang).

Tenth at the time, and hence last into the shootout as it stood, was Matt Stone Racing’s Nick Percat (#10 Bendix Camaro) on a 1:13.7304s.

Tickford’s Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang) then jumped from seventh to the top with a 1:13.5027s as Le Brocq and Waters sat in pit lane.

Davison (#17 Mustang) leaped to eighth on a 1:13.6268s, bumping Percat and putting Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) on the bubble.

The latter was out and Brown (#87 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) on the bubble when Heimgartner drove the #8 R&J Batteries Camaro into third on a 1:13.5299s.

Mostert recovered with a 1:13.4525s which put him on provisional pole and Brown out of the top 10, while Davison sat on the edge with two minutes to go.

Mostert then pitted but everyone else was out on-track trying to improve, which Waters did when he set a 1:13.4126s.

BJR’s Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro) took up seventh on a 1:13.5914s which caused Davison to fall to 11th, before Randle crept up to second on a 1:13.4165s.

The chequered flag came out and Brown was still 12th on a 1:13.7028s but he could not improve.

Davison could, though, pushing Kostecki out of the shootout despite being only 0.2003s off the pace, with De Pasquale moving up two spots to fifth with a 1:13.4540s on an even later lap.

Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) was last into the one-lap dash with a 1:13.5986s, with Kostecki to be joined on Row 6 by James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro), ahead of Brown, Percat, and Jaxon Evans (#12 SCT Logistics Camaro) in the third of the BJR-run entries.

Rain started almost as soon as the session finished, with the Top 10 Shootout for Race 13 due to take place at 12:05 local time/AEST.

Results: Qualifying for Race 13, NTI Townsville 500