Cam Waters has powered to pole position in a thrilling ARMOR ALL Top Ten Shootout at Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, with Brodie Kostecki stung by a kerb strike on his lap.
Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang) clocked the only 1:10s lap of the Shootout — a 1:10.9501s — to secure his third ARMOR ALL Pole Position of the season, and first on the Gold Coast.
The Tickford Racing driver will share the front row with Penrite Racing rookie Matt Payne, who was just 0.1050s away from a maiden career pole.
Payne edged countryman Shane van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro), who will share the second row for the 85-lap Race 25 with Waters’ teammate Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang).
Van Gisbergen is now in the box seat to slash Kostecki’s 131-point championship lead, with the Erebus Motorsport driver to start 10th after his lap was undone by a kerb strike.
Kostecki, who was third-last man out, set the fastest time in the first sector, but triggered the kerb sensors at the beach chicane.
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“Pumped to get pole, car’s been pretty speedy all weekend,” said Waters, who claimed his first Gold Coast pole and the first for Tickford at the venue since 2017.
“Once I got through the first chicane, I knew what grip I had, I thought I was pretty on it, I just couldn’t make any mistakes.
“It’s awesome to get the lap done, start on pole, and hopefully we can convert.”
Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) made a net gain of three positions, improving to sixth after qualifying ninth.
Mostert will share the third row with 2013 winner David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang), with Scott Pye (#20 Hino Camaro), Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro) and Tim Slade (#23 Nulon Camaro) ahead of Kostecki.
Heimgartner opened proceedings with a 1:11.8503s, before Mostert and Reynolds improved.
Van Gisbergen recorded a 1:11.1544s and looked on course for a second straight Gold Coast pole before Payne and Waters demoted the reigning champion to third.
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Kostecki, who recorded his worst starting spot since Townsville, owned his mistake despite handing van Gisbergen a free kick in the title race.
“I just made a small, little error going over the first right-hand kerb and just bounced a little bit too wide and then just got a kerb hop there,” he said.
“So, my mistake, but the car’s pretty fast and the track was getting faster and faster through the Shootout.
“So, Cam did a fantastic job, so congratulations to all of them for getting pole, but we’ll fight back from 10th and see where we end up.”
The 85-lap Race 25 will commence at 3:45pm local time/4:45pm AEDT.
This article first appeared on supercars.comand was reproduced with permission