V8 Supercar star Garth Tander has beaten Australian GT Championship leader Richard Muscat to pole position for the AGTC season finale at Highlands Park.

Returning to Tony Quinn’s Aston Martin for the first time since scoring victory at Phillip Island in September, Tander reeled off a late 1:31.86s lap of the Highlands circuit to secure pole.

Erebus Mercedes driver Muscat had been on top for much of the session but ended up 0.24s away from the pace in second.

The result sees Muscat’s championship advantage over Quinn cut to 30 points, with the latter receiving two points as a pole bonus.

Steven Richards took Justin McMillan’s Lamborghini to third ahead of Jono Lester and John Bowe in the leading Ferraris.

The day marked a strong debut for the Lester-driven Trass Family Motorsport 458, which also proved quick in the two earlier practice sessions.

Shane van Gisbergen managed sixth despite he and Klark Quinn making a late shift into the Quinn family’s Mosler MT900 following issues with their regular McLaren entry.

The McLaren suffered an oil pump failure in second practice, leaving the team to scurry for a replacement ahead of tomorrow’s two 40 minute races.

Craig Lowndes placed Inky Tulloch’s new Chevrolet Camaro in seventh, over two seconds away from Tander’s pace.

The top 10 was completed by Nathan Antunes (Audi), Ryan Millier (Ferrari) and Ben Porter (Porsche).

Saturday will see a 30 minute warm-up for the AGTC competitors prior to the two races which conclude the season.

The non-championship Highlands 101 will then follow on Sunday, where the Australian entries will be joined by several local competitors.

Result: AGTC Qualifying, Highlands Park