Waters takes Supercars pole double at Winton

Race 13 winner Cameron Waters has qualified on pole position for both Races 14 and 15 of the Repco Supercars Championship at the Pizza Hut Winton SuperSprint.

In a repeat of the result from the preceding afternoon’s thrilling 36-lapper, the Tickford Racing driver was just ahead of Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Shane van Gisbergen in each session.

The margin was just 0.0006s in Qualifying for Race 14 before Waters put the #6 Monster Energy Mustang on pole by a still not particularly hefty 0.1493s margin in the latter 10-minute session of the morning at Winton.

“Massive confidence boost, particularly after yesterday as well,” he said, having missed out on pole by 0.0422s to van Gisbergen in Qualifying for Race 13.

“The car was awesome and the boys did a really good job overnight to fix the little things that I was chasing.

“The car is really, really good, so I think it will be a better race car again today.

“So, super pumped to be starting P1 in both races.”

Qualifying for Race 14

David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang) was quickest after the initial flyers on a 1:19.3507s, 0.0121s up on championship leader van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull Ampol ZB Commodore), before anyone had used a green tyre.

When they did, an off-sequence Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) took over top spot with a 1:19.2090s, before being usurped in the final minute by van Gisbergen on a 1:18.5509s and then Waters on a 1:18.5503s.

Reynolds subsequently moved into third on a 1:18.7242s and was fastest to the first sector on his following lap, but did not go on with it, while Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus ZB Commodore) went to fourth with the chequered flag out on a 1:18.7568s.

Rounding out the top 10 were Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries ZB Commodore), from Lee Holdsworth (#10 Penrite Mustang), Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang), Will Brown (#9 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore), Broc Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol ZB Commodore), and Mark Winterbottom (#18 Irwin Tools ZB Commodore).

Davison reportedly went again on a second set of greens but hardly got to used them given he ended up in traffic, and would be classified 12th all-told on the aforementioned time.

Qualifying for Race 15

Qualifying for Race 15 ran to a different rhythm, with van Gisbergen immediately punching out a 1:18.4918s and Brown a 1:18.6204s.

Reynolds continued to be an outlier in going for consecutive flyers, moving to third with a 1:18.6321s before he returned to pit lane and put his cue in the rack, like Brown and van Gisbergen had.

Waters had stayed in the pits until the final minutes, at which time he nailed a 1:18.3425s, before Heimgartner grabbed third spot with a 1:18.5164s.

Heimgartner will be joined on Row 2 by De Pasquale, who clocked a 1:18.5262s, with Brown ending up fifth and Reynolds sixth.

The rest of the top 10 was Brodie Kostecki (#99 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore), Winterbottom, Holdsworth, and Mostert on a 1:18.7078s.

Feeney ended up 11th on his early 1:18.8113s and Davison 13th on a 1:18.8176s just before the chequered flag.

Nick Percat is set to bring up the very rear of the grid in Walkinshaw Andretti United’s #2 Mobil 1 NTI ZB Commodore, having qualified 16th for Race 14.

Race 14 of the season, another 36-lapper, is scheduled for 12:25 local time/AEST.

Results: Qualifying for Race 14, Pizza Hut Winton SuperSprint

Results: Qualifying for Race 15, Pizza Hut Winton SuperSprint