Waters beats Stanaway to Gold Coast 500 pole

Waters was the eighth driver on track in the one-at-a-time hitout, bumping Broc Feeney from the top spot with a typically committed lap that stopped the clocks at 1:11.0581s.

Next man out Chaz Mostert brushed the wall at the exit of Turn 13 as he attempted to better the Tickford Racing driver, slotting into a temporary second having fallen 0.2045s adrift.

Qualifying fast man Stanaway was last out and split the more fancied Ford pair, coming up 0.1171s adrift of Waters to book a still-impressive front-row berth.

Feeney ended up fourth from Thomas Randle, James Golding, James Courtney, David Reynolds, Matt Payne and Brodie Kostecki.

Kostecki was 10th in qualifying and was denied a chance to improve when he triggered a kerb sensor that invalidated his lap.

Payne also found trouble, spearing down the Turn 11 escape road in his pursuit of Golding’s then benchmark effort.

The session though was ultimately all about Waters, who is closing in on the $25,000 Pole Champion Award for the most poles of the season.

He now has six poles in 2024 and can only be beaten for the cash by Feeney, who has four poles with three still to be decided.

“Those Shootouts are really hard because you don’t know the track grip level, so you’re kind of just winging it a little bit,” said Waters, who netted $6,500 for today’s effort.

“I’m super-pumped to get the pole, six and a half gorillas, pretty happy with that – I wish they were all that, but we’ll take it.”

Today’s race will take place from 3:15pm local time. Championship leader Will Brown is set to start 11th after crashing in a dramatic qualifying session.