Kostecki seizes Newcastle Supercars pole position

Erebus Motorsport’s Brodie Kostecki has taken pole position for Race 1 at the Thrifty Newcastle 500 by the relatively large margin of 0.1520s.

Kostecki was on provisional pole before the first Top 10 Shootout of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship and would go on to set a 1:11.8481s in the #99 Coca-Cola Camaro in the one-lap dash.

In doing so, he beat Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang) to pole position by 0.1520s, while only another 0.0420s covered second through sixth at the Newcastle East Street Circuit.

Broc Feeney qualified third and Triple Eight Race Engineering team-mate Shane van Gisbergen sixth, the latter locking a wheel at Cops (Turn 2) but very nearly getting onto the front row anyway.

Waters was the big mover in the session, provisionally qualifying sixth but then setting a 1:12.0001s which none of the next four drivers could beat.

However, after topping Practice 3 and Qualifying for Race 1, Kostecki went and punched out a 0:23.8700s first sector, a 0:25.5153s second sector, and a session-best 0:22.4628s in the final split.

Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) was left “pretty disappointed” with a relatively untidy first sector after checking in with a time of 1:12.0008s, but it was in fact good enough to move him up from seventh to third.

Tim Slade (#400 Nulon Camaro) was fourth after the morning’s qualifying session and remained there courtesy of a 1:12.0019s in the one-lap dash.

David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang) likewise stayed fifth courtesy of a 1:12.0264s which included a slide through the Turn 7 left-hander away from Newcastle Surf Club.

Van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) dropped from third to the third row on a 1:12.0421s after carrying a long lock-up at the top of Watt Street.

Chaz Mostert looked on for a quick lap based on his split to the second sector but crossed the control line in a time of 1:12.1129s meaning, instead of a provisional front row, the #25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang is set to start seventh.

Andre Heimgartner (R&J Batteries Camaro) put Car #8 into eighth with a 1:12.1424s on used tyres, Scott Pye (#20 Hino Camaro) took ninth on a 1:12.1591s, and James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) set a 1:12.2432s which left him 10th.

Race 1 of the season, to be run over 95 laps/250km, is set to start at 15:20 local time/AEDT.

Results: Top 10 Shootout for Race 1, Thrifty Newcastle 500