Qualifying consisted of two 10-minute segments: Q1 reducing the field from 24 down to 18 and Q2 culling a further eight to set the field for a Top 10 Shootout later in the day.

While Q1 ran as planned, the start of Q2 was delayed by more than 30 minutes due to an issue with the timing system, making for an agonising wait for drivers and teams.

When the action did finally resume it was reigning champion Brown who made the best of it, stopping the clocks at 50.7620s to lock in the honour of being the last man out in the Shootout.

That put Brown 0.0437s ahead of Triple Eight teammate Broc Feeney, who took the championship lead from Brown with two victories on Saturday.

“It feels good,” said Brown, who enjoyed a slipstream while running behind Feeney on his fastest lap.

“I’ve been getting smashed by my teammate Broc Feeney, he’s been doing an awesome job this year. I’ve got to pull my socks up and do a better job, I’ve got the same car as him.

“So it was great to bounce back today and get provisional pole. We’ve still got the Shootout to go, it’s not easy around here putting a really clean lap together.”

Thomas Randle was the best-of-the-rest behind the Triple Eight duo from Anton De Pasquale, Cooper Murray, Ryan Wood, Jaxon Evans, Richie Stanaway, James Golding and Cam Waters.

Waters twice rubbed the barriers in the Q2 session and came within 0.0361s of missing the Shootout field.

Saturday podium finishes Nick Percat and Bryce Fullwood could not progress out of Q2 and are set to start 13th and 15th respectively.

Q1 also claimed big scalps as lacklustre weekends for Andre Heimgartner (19th) and Chaz Mostert (23rd) continued.

Dick Johnson Racing also had a shocker with Brodie Kostecki 20th and Will Davison 24th after a messy session for the #17 Shell V-Power Mustang.

“I was just starting my run and there was a bunch of stuff going on down the back straight,” explained Davison.

“I think Waters ran off and then Brown ran off and they were all backing off trying to go for a lap. So then I backed off to go for a lap and then as I was starting a lap had contact with a Grove car.”

The Top 10 Shootout is scheduled for 11:55am local time.

Results: Tasmania Super440 Race 3 qualifying, Symmons Plains