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Cameron Waters has scored provisional pole position for Race 25 of the Repco Supercars Championship at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.
The Tickford Racing driver went as quick as a 1:10.8361s in the 15-minute qualifying session which precedes a Top 10 Shootout later today at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit.
Penrite Racing rookie Matt Payne finished just 0.0503s slower while championship leader Brodie Kostecki was first of the Chevrolet contingent in third in the #99 Coca-Cola Camaro.
His key title rival, Shane van Gisbergen, also got through in fifth spot in the #97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro.
Those to miss out on the one-lap dash included Broc Feeney in the other Red Bull Ampol Racing entry, which he has put 21st on the grid, and Will Brown in the other Coca-Cola car, which is set to start last this afternoon after mechanical dramas.
The track was dry despite patchy rain earlier in the morning and Thomas Randle (#55 Tickford Racing Mustang) set the initial pace on a 1:11.7072s.
He further improved to a 1:10.9873s next time around but Kostecki, who was outside track limits at the front chicane on his first flyer, then went to the top with a 1:10.9062s.
Waters had his own little drama with an earlier tour up an escape road before he jumped into provisional pole with a 1:10.8566s in the #6 Mustang.
Van Gisbergen breached track limits through the Beach Chicane and lost one lap, at which time he was only 20th, but elevated himself to sixth by the end of the opening runs on a 1:11.2898s.
Ahead of him were Waters from Kostecki, Randle, Payne (#19 Mustang), and David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang), while notables outside the top 10 included Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) in 12th, Feeney (#88 Camaro) in 18th, and Brown in 24th.
Worse for Brown, he had a gear selection issue and Erebus was working on the actuating rod as the rest rolled out for their second runs, after an overnight transaxle and clutch change for the #9 Camaro.
With the clock ticking down to less than two minutes remaining, Brown stepped out of the car.
Meanwhile, Mostert took over seventh on a 1:11.2935s, bumping James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) out of the top 10, before James Courtney (#5 Tickford Mustang) moved into 10th on a 1:11.3498s which relegated Mark Winterbottom (#18 DeWalt Camaro) to 11th.
Waters consolidated top spot with a 1:10.8361s and Randle similarly improved his time but stayed third with a 1:10.9085s.
Courtney himself was out of the top 10 as a result of Scott Pye’s (#20 Hino Camaro) jump to fifth on a 1:11.0468s just before the chequered flag.
Mostert remained ninth despite a slightly quicker 1:11.2285s, then van Gisbergen moved up three positions to fourth on a 1:10.9863s to make his passage to the shootout safe.
Finally, Payne climbed three positions to second on a 1:10.8864s.
The top 10 was thus Waters, Payne, Kostecki, Randle, van Gisbergen, Pye, Reynolds, Tim Slade (#23 Nulon Camaro), Mostert, and Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro).
Courtney was first on the outside and will share Row 6 with Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro), with Jack Le Brocq (#34 Truck Assist Camaro) 13th and the Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustangs of Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale to line up alongside each other on Row 9.
The Top 10 Shootout starts at 13:05 local time/14:05 AEDT.
CLICK HERE for full Qualifying for Race 25 results
