Brodie Kostecki has put his Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustang on high of the time sheets in a riveting qualifying session for this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama.
Kostecki, the defending race winner, set a ultimate lap time of 2m04.0307s to edge this season’s qualifying king Broc Feeney by 0.0064s. The Triple Eight Chevrolet driver had appeared to have taken pole earlier than Kostecki snatched it away within the ultimate moments of the 45-minute session.
“I used to be undecided how good we had been,” the 2023 champion stated. “We had been making small changes to the automobile, we put ourselves in an excellent place for the Shoot Out.
“That was most likely probably the greatest laps of my profession, it feels good in race trim nevertheless it was a little bit bit evil in qualifying.”
One of many troublesome components for the drivers to deal with was the truth that the vehicles are on the third totally different Dunlop Management tyre in three years, and that this 12 months’s new, softer tyre is greater than 1s quicker than its predecessors.
“On this tyre this 12 months it’s bloody quick,” Feeney smiled after the session. “My reference lap was out on the final lap, I assumed I used to be taking a look at a ‘three’.”
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Ryan Wooden took the third-fastest time of the session within the Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford, forward of Anton De Pasquale (Workforce 18 Chevrolet), Cooper Murray (Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet and Chaz Mostert (WAU Ford).
The staggering statistic was that these six vehicles had been cut up by lower than 0.1s across the 6.213km observe, marking it because the closest session of its kind in latest occasions.
The shock performer of the session was Murray, the person who changed Kostecki at Erebus Motorsport. He took the struggle proper to Feeney early within the session, leaving lots of the extra fancied drivers in his wake.
Cameron Waters was seventh quickest in his Tickford Racing Ford, forward of Cam Hill. The Matt Stone Racing Chevrolet driver seemed to be proper within the battle within the earlier follow periods, as was team-mate Nick Percat, who made the Shoot Out in ninth place.
Thomas Randle was the final man to make the highest 10 within the second Tickford Racing Ford, tipping out Macauley Jones (Brad Jones Racing) by 0.056s.
Will Brown, Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Photograph by: Edge Photographics
The massive shock of the session was Will Brown, the defending Supercars champion in twelfth place, albeit solely 0.2880s from Kostecki’s finest time.
The opposite fancied runner to overlook the highest 10 was Matt Payne, who was again in 18th within the Grove Racing Ford – although even he was simply 0.5691s from provisional pole.
Even Bryce Fullwood, who will begin Sunday’s race from twenty fifth in his BJR Chevrolet, was lower than 1s behind Kostecki’s time.
The Supercars co-drivers may have their very own follow session at 10:05am on Saturday, and all drivers can drive at 1:10pm, with each periods set to run 60 minutes. The Prime 10 Shoot Out, which is able to set the beginning order on the entrance of the grid, is scheduled for five:05pm (all occasions Australian Jap Daylight Saving Time).
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