Mostert, Wood deliver WAU lockout in Perth Supercars qualifying

Mostert set the fastest two laps in the third and final part of qualifying in the #25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang while his rookie team-mate Wood finished 0.1411s off pole position in the #2 Mobil 1 Truck Assist Mustang.

Tickford Racing’s Cam Waters claimed third in the #6 Monster Energy Mustang and championship leader Will Brown took fourth in the #87 Red Bull Ampol Camaro.

Knockout qualifying made its first appearance in 2024, with three, 10-minute segments on the cards at Wanneroo Raceway, and the decisive third stanza began with Wood on top with a 0:54.7543s.

Matt Stone Racing’s Cameron Hill went off-sequence and put the #4 Supaglass Camaro into second place with a 0:54.7989s at the halfway mark, while everyone else was back in pit lane after their first run or, in the case of Tim Slade (#200 Nulon Camaro), had not gone out at all.

Grove Racing’s Matt Payne sat fifth on a 0:55.0639s but was already out of the #19 Penrite Mustang, having used two sets of tyres to escape Part 1 of qualifying.

Hill and James Courtney (#7 Snowy River Caravans Mustang) also had their cues in the rack but seven drivers were still in the hunt for pole position.

Mostert jumped from sixth to the top with a 0:54.5628s at the start of his final run before Brown moved into second on a 0:54.7452s.

Waters then went second on a 0:54.7387s, just prior to the chequered flag, as Mostert continued to push.

His final-lap 0:54.6398s meant the Mobil 1 Optus machine was good enough for pole twice over, before Wood gave WAU a real one-two with a 0:54.7039s.

Waters thus ended up third, from Brown, Broc Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) on a 0:54.7951s, Hill, Courtney, Payne, and PremiAir Racing duo James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) and Slade.

Earlier, in Part 2, Feeney set the pace with a 0:54.4795s and Courtney advanced in 10th on a 0:54.7311s, while both Dick Johnson Racing Fords and both Erebus Motorsport Chevrolets were knocked out.

The chequered flag had come out by the time Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) moved up four spots to 12th on a 0:54.7539s, Brodie Kostecki (#1 Erebus Motorsport Camaro) to 14th on a 0:54.8677s, and Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) to 16th on a 0:54.9023s.

Richie Stanaway (#26 Penrite Mustang) ended up 11th, missing the cut by 0.0061s, meaning he will share Row 6 with Davison.

Nick Percat (#10 Bendix Camaro) took 13th, from Kostecki, Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro), De Pasquale, Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang), Jack Le Brocq (#9 Bic Camaro), David Reynolds (#20 Tradie Beer Camaro), and Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro).

All the way back in Part 1, Mostert was quickest with a 0:54.5993s on his single run while Payne had to dig himself out of trouble with the chequered flag out.

He jumped from 21st to seventh and put Fullwood back in the drop zone, before the Territorian climbed to 15th and relegated Brad Jones Racing team-mate Jaxon Evans (#12 SCT Logistics Camaro) to 21st.

Evans will share Row 11 with Aaron Love (#3 CoolDrive Mustang) while 2015 champion Mark Winterbottom (#18 DeWalt Camaro) lines up on the back row with Macauley Jones (#96 Pizza Hut Camaro).

Race 9, a 55-lapper, starts this afternoon at 15:45 local time/17:45 AEST.

Results: Qualifying for Race 9, Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint