Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters has qualified fastest in the Top 10 Shootout ahead of Race 17 of the Repco Supercars Championship at the NTI Townsville 500.

In a controversial session due to the state in which the track was left after a drifting session, Waters achieved pole position with only a 1:14.4184s in the #6 Monster Energy Mustang, almost 1.6s slower than the benchmark in Qualifying for Race 17.

He will share the front row with Matt Stone Racing’s Jack Le Brocq in the #34 Truck Assist Camaro, while provisional pole-sitter Brodie Kostecki (#99 Coca-Cola Camaro) ended up fourth and Chaz Mostert failed to set a time after glancing a wall.

Le Brocq was only fifth-last onto the race track and laid down a 1:14.5827s which knocked off previous pace-setter Thomas Randle’s (#55 Castrol Mustang) 1:14.6363s.

David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang) then clocked a 1:14.7131s on roaded fronts before Mostert started his run in the #25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang.

The Walkinshaw Andretti United driver glanced the wall exiting Turn 2 of the Reid Park Street Circuit and would bail out of the lap at Turn 6.

That left just Waters and Kostecki to come, with the former going top before the latter set a 1:14.648s to take up fourth and thus share Row 2 with Randle in this afternoon’s 88-lapper.

Sixth through eighth was Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) on a 1:14.8344s, Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) on a 1:14.9808s, Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro) on a 1:15.0289s.

Will Brown just got into the one-lap dash after Erebus scrambled to replace a power steering pulley during Qualifying for Race 17, and ultimately took ninth on the grid with a 1:15.2726s in the #9 Coca-Cola Camaro, with Mostert to line up 10th.

Race 17 is scheduled to start at 14:40 local time/AEST.

Full Top 10 Shootout results here.