Tickford Racing’s Vaughan set a 0:55.0959s to edge Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Zach Bates by 0.0360s in the final minutes of Group 2 of Qualifying for Race 2 at Wanneroo Raceway.

Row 2 of the grid both came from Group 1, with Anderson Motorsport’s Max Vidau third and RM Racing Cars’ Cameron McLeod only 0.0002s slower in fourth overall.

Vidau (#17 S550 Mustang) had topped the opening 15-minute stanza with a 0:55.2180s and that was thus the time to beat for the quicker 50 percent from Friday practice.

Jordyn Sinni (#54 ZB Commodore) led the way on the opening flyers for Group 2 with a 0:55.9039s good enough for 10th all-told, before Eggleston Motorsport team-mate Allen (#1 ZB Commodore) moved up to fourth with a 0:55.5225s on his second timed lap.

The green tyre running followed and Vaughan leaped to the top with a 0:55.1981s in the #5 S550 Mustang before Bates put the #25 ZB Commodore into provisional pole with a 0:55.1319s.

Vaughan wrested back the ascendancy with a 0:55.0959s on his third push lap of the run as Allen looked for clear track for his tilt at pole.

However, he could only manage a 0:55.2422s on his final lap, slower than he had gone on his first run, and thus the driver who is unbeaten through three races in 2024 will line up 13th on the starting grid this afternoon.

Kelly Racing fills out Row 3 with Mason Kelly (#22 S550 Mustang) edging team-mate Aaron Cameron (#27 S550 Mustang), while Cooper Murray (#88 Eggleston ZB Commodore) took seventh after he could not improve with a re-pressured set of tyres on a third run.

Sinni ended up eighth, from Elliott Cleary (#19 Brad Jones Racing ZB Commodore) and Lochie Dalton (#6 Tickford S550 Mustang).

Matt Chahda’s weekend came to an early end after an engine drama for the #18 Matt Chahda Motorsport ZB Commodore late in Race 1 and he did not partake in Sunday qualifying.

The second and final race of the weekend, another 40-minute contest, is officially scheduled to start this afternoon at 14:15 local time/16:15 AEST.

Results: Qualifying for Race 2