Kostecki bags pole for potential Supercars title-decider

Brodie Kostecki has taken a big step towards sealing the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship title with pole position for Race 27 at the Vailo Adelaide 500.

The Erebus Motorsport driver was last out for the Top 10 Shootout and went on to better the previous fastest lap, set by Grove Racing’s David Reynolds, by 0.0090s.

Kostecki’s title rival, Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Shane van Gisbergen, will start from sixth position, alongside the other Erebus entry of Will Brown.

Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang) had been quickest on a 1:19.8381s with three drivers still to come in the one-lap dash at the Adelaide Parklands Circuit.

Matt Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang) was next out and went quickest to the first and second sectors but then ran long at Turn 9, ultimately setting a 1:21.3822s.

Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang) almost matched his Grove team-mate to the second sector but was slightly up on Randle and would pip the Tickford driver by a margin of just 0.0008s when he clocked a 1:19.8373s.

That left just Kostecki (#99 Coca-Cola Camaro) to come and, while he was slightly slower than Reynolds to the second sector, he pulled out the fastest final sector to set a 1:19.8283s.

Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) was fourth-fastest on a 1:19.9239s after skating ever so slightly wide of the apex at Turn 14

Will Brown (#9 Coca-Cola Camaro), who topped Practice 3 earlier in the day with a 1:19.0313s, set a 1:20.0641s having slid slightly off Turn 9.

During the early running, each driver had been going quicker than the one before them, in a session which followed a Touring Car Masters race which was said to have left the track slippery.

Van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) had provisionally qualified fourth but dropped to sixth all-told on a 1:20.1034s, and his championship hopes will be snuffed out if today’s race finishes as the top 10 have qualified.

Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) claimed seventh on a 1:20.2141s and Cam Waters (#43 Monster Energy Mustang) took eighth on a 1:20.3271s despite locking up into Turn 14 and missing the apex.

James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) was first out and achieved a 1:20.5730s, meaning he will share Row 5 with Payne.

Race 27 is officially scheduled to start at 14:50 local time/15:20 AEDT, with 78 laps the journey.

Results: Top 10 Shootout for Race 27, Vailo Adelaide 500