Kostecki, Feeney split poles in dramatic AGP Supercars qualifying

Brodie Kostecki and Broc Feeney have each scored a pole position after two ultra-dramatic Supercars qualifying sessions at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.

The Erebus Motorsport Camaros locked out the front row for Race 5 at the Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint this afternoon given Will Brown was second-quickest in the opening session of the morning, while Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Feeney will be joined by Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert at the head of the grid when Race 6 gets underway tomorrow.

Feeney’s pole was a big turnaround after being trapped outside the top 20 due to a late red flag in the earlier session, but team-mate Shane van Gisbergen is on Row 6 for both of the next two races at Albert Park.

Qualifying for Race 5

Morning rain left the Albert Park track damp for the start of Qualifying for Race 5 and the field rolled out on the new-for-2023 wets for the first time ever, rather than the hard slicks otherwise stipulated for the session.

The previous afternoon’s race winner, Kostecki, was quickest to the tune of more than a second after setting a 2:00.0824s on his first flyer in the #99 Coca-Cola Camaro.

Brown was second-fastest at the time and that remained the case when he improved to a 2:00.8887s on his next flyer in the #9 Coca-Cola Camaro.

Meanwhile, Nick Percat was back in pit lane and the WAU crew went to work on the power steering reservoir on the #2 Mobil 1 NTI Mustang which had been repaired overnight after catching fire in Race 4.

The pits soon became much busier as the rest of the field started to switch from wets to hard slick tyres but few, if any, would get a chance to go quicker.

David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang) became stuck in the gravel trap at Turn 12, bringing about a red flag with less than two minutes to go and hence hastening the end of the session.

Van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) had only just started a slick tyre flyer when the red flag was called meaning he was trapped in 11th position once Reynolds, who had been ninth-fastest, was stripped of his best lap.

Ahead of him on the grid, it is an Erebus front row lockout, from Brad Jones Racing’s Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro), then Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang), Matt Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang), Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang), James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro), Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro), and championship leader Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) rounding out the top 10.

Cameron Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang) is set to start all the way back in 20th, one position ahead of Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro), with Reynolds classified 24th and Percat 25th.

Qualifying for Race 6

Given how the wets wore during the earlier session, there was no question that the field was going to start on slicks in Qualifying for Race 6, especially considering the super soft compound was mandated for the latter hit-out of the morning.

However, the track was still wet in patches and several were caught out on their first flying lap, with a clash in the Ascari (Turn 11) run-off area between former stablemates.

Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang) had already run long and driven out when Reynolds and Brown arrived together, making side-to-side contact which bent a steering arm on the former’s #26 Mustang, before they were followed up the run-off area by Mark Winterbottom (#18 DeWalt Camaro).

Proving that the track still was not optimal, Kostecki was fastest initially on a 1:53.8681s, before Mostert moved the marker to a 1:51.2911s and then Kostecki again to a 1:49.54153s.

Waters leapt to the top with a 1:48.8381s with just over a minute to go, but drivers were still finding time up and down the field.

Kostecki got back to as high as second-fastest with a 1:48.8490s just before the chequered flag but he would be shuffled back to 14th all-told.

Feeney had been back into the lane for a fresh set of tyres and vaulted from 24th to pole with a 1:47.7685s, while four drivers improved to second position after the chequered flag had come out.

Mostert was the one who stayed there having logged a 1:47.9584s, with Brown claiming third and the top five rounded out by Brad Jones Racing drivers Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro) and Fullwood.

Jack Le Brocq claimed sixth in a rebuilt #34 Truck Assist Camaro, from Davison, Payne, Randle, and Pye.

Winterbottom shares Row 6 with van Gisbergen, while Waters is back in 15th, one spot up on Percat and another up on De Pasquale.

Race 5, scheduled for 13 laps, is officially due to start this evening at 17:30 local time/AEDT.

Results: Qualifying for Race 5, Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint

Results: Qualifying for Race 6, Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint