Feeney tops qualifying, Mostert misses Shootout

Feeney clocked a 53.8300s best in the Q2 segment to end up 0.0328s clear of David Reynolds, while Matt Payne, Will Brown and Bryce Fullwood rounded out the top five.

Ryan Wood recovered from an off at the start of Q1 to also book a Shootout berth in sixth ahead of Cam Waters, Cameron Hill, James Golding and Anton De Pasquale.

Team 18’s effort to get both its cars in the Shootout was particularly notable after a rough Saturday and marked a timely boost for out-of-contract Reynolds.

“Yesterday was really down the dumps,” said Reynolds.

“I qualified 12th and 16th or whatever it was, half a second off the pace – and I was just sitting there last night going, ‘how am I gonna go half a second faster?’

“It didn’t feel like it was possible, but they make a few changes to the car, and all of a sudden today it’s possible.

“That’s why I hate this sport so much, because it’s so frustrating. When you’re at the back, it seems so impossible. When you’re at the front, it seems so easy.

“I wish I just played tennis or golf, where if I hit the ball wrong, I’m like, ‘yeah, I hit the ball wrong today’. But motor racing just isn’t like that.”

Those just on the wrong side of the top 10 cut-off were Thomas Randle, Cooper Murray, James Courtney, Mostert and Brodie Kostecki.

Mostert finished on the podium in both races on Saturday, having started the respective heats from pole and 11th, and will again have to fight through in the 200km afternoon race.

“Not the result we wanted after having such a competitive car yesterday, but I struggled to dial it in for one lap then,” he said.

“The windows are just so small with these cars. One day you’re smack bang in the middle of it and you’re happy as, and one day you’re out of it.

“I’m not sure what to think about that, I just struggled to put a lap together.”

Nick Percat, Aaron Cameron and wildcard Lochie Dalton ended Q2 in 16th through 18th.

Saturday’s Race 2 winner Feeney had earlier topped Q1 from Waters, Hill, Wood and Golding.

Those eliminated in Q1 were Richie Stanaway, Will Davison, Macauley Jones, Andre Heimgartner, Kai Allen, Jack Le Brocq and Jaxon Evans.

Adding insult to injury for birthday boy Heimgartner is a two-grid spot penalty for impeding Cameron at Turn 7 late in the session.

“There were people starting laps, I was trying to start one, then there were people warming up their tyres,” said Heimgartner, who will start 24th.

“It’s the old thing, everyone sort of arrives at one spot… it was obviously my fault, shouldn’t have been in the way, but often it’s those messy situations where you don’t have a choice.”

Evans, who shone earlier in the weekend, was left to rue a mistake at Turn 7 that resulted in a track limits breach and two laps being wiped.

Results: Bosch Power Tools Perth Super440 Qualifying Race 3