Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen has pipped Saturday pole-sitter Andre Heimgartner to top spot in Qualifying for Race 19 at Sydney Motorsport Park by 0.0563s.
Brad Jones Racing had moved into a one-two with the chequered flag out at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight but, ultimately, each of the first two rows on the grid this afternoon with have a Triple Eight Camaro on the inside and a BJR Camaro on the outside.
Van Gisbergen clocked a 1:29.9100s in Car #97 as compared to Heimgartner’s 1:29.9663s in the #8 R&J Batteries Camaro, with Broc Feeney pipping Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro) to third by 0.0508s.
Repco Supercars Championship leader Brodie Kostecki (#99 Coca-Cola Camaro) took fifth in the 15-minute session at a sunny Eastern Creek, with Cameron Waters best of the Ford drivers in sixth in the #6 Monster Energy Mustang.
Only the PremiAir Racing duo set a time on their very first runs, Tim Slade (#23 Nulon Camaro) clocking a 1:31.4609s before James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) set a 1:30.8168s.
Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) then split them on a 1:31.2169s but the first driver to make a real impact was Waters with a 1:30.4904s.
The fastest lap was quickly reset by David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang), Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang), and then Kostecki.
The latter was thus fastest ahead of the final runs on a 1:30.2569s, with van Gisbergen second on a 1:30.3832s and De Pasquale third on a 1:30.4406s.
Such was the rollout for the final runs, it was effectively a shootout for all 25 drivers.
The chequered flag was unfurled and Kostecki moved to top spot on a 1:30.2152s before Fullwood clocked a 1:30.1675s and then Heimgartner moved into provisional pole.
Van Gisbergen, however, was fastest to the first sector and the second, then converted that to the very fastest lap of the session.
Waters finished 0.3361s off the pace in sixth, ahead of Mark Winterbottom (#18 DeWalt Camaro), Reynolds, De Pasquale, and Will Brown (#9 Coca-Cola Camaro) in 10th.
Notables further back were Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) in 16th and Davison in 23rd.
Race 19, a 36-lapper, is set to start at 15:30 local time/AEST.
Results to follow