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Brodie Kostecki has taken provisional pole position for Race 17 at the NTI Townsville 500 while both Triple Eight cars missed the Top 10 Shootout, with Shane van Gisbergen last.
Both Erebus Motorsport and Triple Eight Race Engineering looked set for shockers on at least one side of their respective garages but the former pulled it out of the fire after mechanical dramas for the #9 Coca-Cola Camaro of new Repco Supercars Championship leader Will Brown.
Brown clung on to 10th position, though, because van Gisbergen locked a brake and the #97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro went down the run-off area at Turn 11 on the 2022 champion’s final lap of the 15-minute qualifying session.
Kostecki came out on top with a 1:12.8387s in the #99 Coca-Cola Camaro, 0.0868s ahead of the previous day’s provisional pole-sitter, Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters in the #6 Monster Energy Mustang.
When pit lane opened, just over half the field rolled out at a sunny Townsville and set a time, Todd Hazelwood (#3 CoolDrive Mustang) fastest on a 1:13.4545s from Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro) on a 1:13.5775s.
On the next runs, Kostecki set a new fastest lap of the weekend in achieving a 1:13.2543s before being beaten by Jack Le Brocq (#34 Truck Assist Camaro) on a 1:13.1638s and then David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang) on a 1:13.1150s.
There was major drama at both Erebus and Triple Eight, however, with the former working to replace a serpentine pulley after Brown lost power steering while van Gisbergen hopped out of his Camaro to reportedly discuss a recurrent handling issue with Race Engineer Andrew Edwards.
Feeney was outside the top 10 when the final runs kicked off in earnest in the last minute of the session, but jumped nine posts to sixth position with a 1:13.2806s.
Kostecki then fired in a 1:12.8387s to go top, before Waters made his passage to the Shootout safe by moving from ninth to second on a 1:12.9255s.
The chequered flag came out and then Feeney was bumped out of the top 10 when Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang) jumped as high as fourth on a 1:13.0975s.
Brown lifted himself from last to ninth with a 1:13.2288s before Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) moved up to third with a 1:13.0075s which relegated Matt Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang) to 11th.
Van Gisbergen was personal-best to the second sector before he locked a brake and ran long at Turn 11, then pitted rather than taking the chequered flag given his fate was sealed.
Kostecki is therefore on provisional pole from Waters, Mostert, Reynolds on a late 1:13.0329s, Le Brocq, and Randle in sixth.
Brad Jones Racing gambled on keeping Heimgartner in the pits for the final minutes to save a set of tyres and he was classified seventh on his second-run 1:13.1241s, ahead of Shell V-Power Racing Team duo Anton De Pasquale (#11 Mustang) and Will Davison (#17 Mustang), then Brown in 10th.
Payne ended up 11th, from Scott Pye (#20 Hino Camaro), Feeney, James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro), and Cameron Hill (#35 Truck Assist Camaro), with van Gisbergen dead last on a 1:18.5392s which leaves him officially 5.7005s off the pace.
The Top 10 Shootout for Race 17 starts at 12:00 local time/AEST.
Results to follow
