Randle takes Race 1 pole as Kostecki, Wood clash

The Tickford Racing driver emerged on top from the first of the back-to-back Saturday morning sessions that set the grid for the day’s two 50-lap sprint race.

Race 1 qualifying, split over two 10 minute segments, took place on the super soft compound Dunlop control tyre.

Randle’s final flying lap of 50.6975s in Q2 was enough to deny Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney the pole position by 0.0082s.

“This is an awesome credit to the whole team,” beamed Randle, who started the Sunday race last year from pole but failed to convert it into a maiden win.

“I wasn’t really sure where we were going to end up because yesterday, we were down in 16th and I was struggling a bit all over the place.

“Worked on a few things over night that I needed to work on, looking at the data and stuff, tuned the car up and it all just clicked.”

Tickford and Triple Eight also locked out the second row with Cam Waters and Will Brown.

Dick Johnson Racing’s Brodie Kostecki set the fifth-fastest time but was slapped with a four-place grid penalty for spinning Ryan Wood at the Turn 4 hairpin in the Q2 session.

Drama at the hairpin 🤯

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“I just went in as I normally would and obviously Woody was taking a little bit of a different line to me,” Kostecki explained.

“It’s just one of those things, I went up to apologise but I can understand his frustration.”

Wood appeared to snub Kostecki’s attempt at an apology, leaving the DJR driver standing at the front of the WAU garage.

“Obviously the hairpin is such a hard corner and Brodie has such a different line to me and I think it’s just caught him and myself out,” Wood added.

“He’s turned me and at the heat of the moment I didn’t speak to him because I didn’t want to say something I’d regret.

“But it is what it is and I know ‘Bush’ didn’t have any intentions of trying to do that, especially when we’ve just been on our Ford retreat.”

Kostecki’s penalty elevated Bryce Fullwood and Jaxon Evans to fifth and sixth in an impressive turn of speed from the two Brad Jones Racing Camaros.

Wood will start seventh ahead of James Courtney, Kostecki and James Golding, who had earlier topped the Q1 session.

Q1 included a red flag following a wild spin for Cooper Murray on the run to Turn 1 that spread debris onto the circuit.

The big victims of Q1 included Taupo race winners Chaz Mostert (19th) and Matt Payne (24th).

Team 18 also had a shocker with teammates David Reynolds and Anton De Pasquale 22nd and 23rd respectively.

Results: Tasmania Super440 Race 1 qualifying, Symmons Plains

*a four-place grid penalty will drop Kostecki to ninth