De Pasquale fastest in SMP shootout

Anton De Pasquale has qualified on pole position for Race 1 at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight after prevailing in the Top 10 Shootout by almost two tenths of a second.

The Shell V-Power Racing Team driver converted provisional pole into first on the grid for tonight’s 77-lap Repco Supercars Championship opener at Sydney Motorsport Park, and will be joined on the front row by Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen.

The track was mostly dry for the one-lap dash, for which the soft compound of tyre was in play.

Tim Slade was the big mover in the session, from a provisional eighth on the grid to third in the #3 CoolDrive Mustang.

He set a 1:29.9475s which the four drivers who followed could not beat, but 2021 Supercars champion van Gisbergen blew it away with a tidy 1:29.5504s in the #97 ZB Commodore.

Will Davison was second-last onto the circuit in the other Shell V-Power Racing Team entry and he locked the rears at the Turn 8 hairpin before breaking the beam in a time of 1:30.0547s.

That left #17 fifth-fastest with just one car to come, and Davison was sixth on the grid once De Pasquale blazed to a 1:29.3599s in the #11 Mustang, 0.1905s faster than van Gisbergen had gone.

“It’s always a good place to start the first race of the year, so we’ll see how this 300km goes later tonight,” said De Pasquale.

“It’s going to be a cool race so looking forward to it. I’m at the right end of the field and we have started off strong.

“The track is a lot different to what we’re used to seeing here, obviously with the rivers and the rain and all that kind of stuff, so very different to what we were even the four weeks here last year,” he added.

“So, just rolled out today and gave it our best, the guys delivered me an awesome car, so we’ll see how we go tonight.”

Brad Jones Racing’s Andre Heimgartner drove the #8 R&J Batteries ZB Commodore to a 1:29.9523s which saw him take fourth, his only obvious blemish being an untidy run through the Turn 8 hairpin.

Will Brown ended up first of the two Erebus Motorsport drivers in fifth position with a 1:30.0096s in the #9 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore, and will share Row 3 with Davison.

Brodie Kostecki ran ever so slightly long at Bond Bend (Turn 2) but still set a 1:30.0780s which puts the #99 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore seventh on the grid.

Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert dropped from a provisional sixth to eighth with a 1:30.0822s in the #25 Mobil 1 Optus ZB Commodore.

Penrite Racing’s David Reynolds drove the #26 Mustang into ninth on the grid, the same as where he had been provisionally after the earlier 15-minute hit-out, with a 1:30.3942s.

Red Bull Ampol Racing rookie Broc Feeney was first onto the race track for the shootout and remained 10th having clocked a 1:30.7297s in the #88 ZB Commodore.

Race 1 of the season is officially due to start tonight at 19:10 local time/AEDT.

Results: Top 10 Shootout for Race 1, Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight