BRODIE Kostecki has taken another step towards securing a maiden Supercars Championship title by pacing Friday qualifying at the VAILO Adelaide 500.
The Erebus Camaro driver shot to the top of the order right at the end of the 15-minute session, which was held in dry conditions and set the field for Saturday’s Top 10 Shootout.
Kostecki will enter the penultimate race of the season with a 131-point lead over Shane van Gisbergen, with 300 available in Adelaide.
Van Gisbergen also booked a Shootout spot with fourth fastest behind the Grove Racing Mustangs of David Reynolds and Matt Payne.
Filling the Shootout field will be Thomas Randle, Anton De Pasquale, Will Brown, Chaz Mostert, Cam Waters and James Golding.
Despite being the standout qualifier of the season, Kostecki expressed surprise at ending up quickest.
“I thought pole was a lot faster than actually what I did,” said Kostecki.
“I probably put a little bit too much on the line there trying to actually do the lap but stoked with that, the team did a fantastic job.
“We were missing a little bit in practice but we were lucky to learn a little bit off Will (Brown) there, apply a few small set-up changes and we’re stoked to come away with provisional pole.”
The short and sharp session featured two runs on new tyres.
Payne set the fastest of the early laps with 1:19.0741s ahead of Reynolds, van Gisbergen, De Pasquale and Kostecki.
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Kostecki rose to P2 with 40 seconds left, 0.0661s adrift of Payne, before recording a session-topping 1:19.0460s next time around.
Reynolds had very briefly gone fastest between Kostecki’s laps and ended up just 0.011s away in second.
In further good news for Erebus, Triple Eight driver Broc Feeney narrowly missed the Shootout in 11th after being among drivers to lose a lap to a track limits breach.
Feeney’s best was just 0.3653s away from the fastest time.
The Supercars Championship field will return to the track for Practice 3 on Saturday morning before the Shootout begins at 12:05pm.
RESULTS: Qualifying for Race 1, 2023 VAILO Adelaide 500
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Brodie Kostecki | Erebus | Chevrolet | 1:19.0460s |
| 2 | 26 | David Reynolds | Grove | Ford | +0.0112s |
| 3 | 19 | Matthew Payne | Grove | Ford | +0.0281s |
| 4 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Triple Eight | Chevrolet | +0.1624s |
| 5 | 55 | Thomas Randle | Tickford | Ford | +0.1801s |
| 6 | 11 | Anton De Pasquale | DJR | Ford | +0.2019s |
| 7 | 9 | Will Brown | Erebus | Chevrolet | +0.2192s |
| 8 | 25 | Chaz Mostert | WAU | Ford | +0.2425s |
| 9 | 43 | Cam Waters | Tickford | Ford | +0.2571s |
| 10 | 31 | James Golding | PremiAir | Chevrolet | +0.3172s |
| 11 | 88 | Broc Feeney | Triple Eight | Chevrolet | +0.3653s |
| 12 | 17 | Will Davison | DJR | Ford | +0.3989s |
| 13 | 2 | Nick Percat | WAU | Ford | +0.4657s |
| 14 | 3 | Todd Hazelwood | BRT | Ford | +0.4749s |
| 15 | 34 | Jack Le Brocq | MSR | Chevrolet | +0.4806s |
| 16 | 5 | James Courtney | Tickford | Ford | +0.4851s |
| 17 | 8 | Andre Heimgartner | BJR | Chevrolet | +0.5206s |
| 18 | 35 | Cameron Hill | MSR | Chevrolet | +0.7061s |
| 19 | 23 | Tim Slade | PremiAir | Chevrolet | +0.7413s |
| 20 | 20 | Scott Pye | Team 18 | Chevrolet | +0.7644s |
| 21 | 18 | Mark Winterbottom | Team 18 | Chevrolet | +0.7766s |
| 22 | 14 | Bryce Fullwood | BJR | Chevrolet | +0.9811s |
| 23 | 56 | Declan Fraser | Tickford | Ford | +0.9899s |
| 24 | 96 | Macauley Jones | BJR | Chevrolet | +1.0357s |
| 25 | 4 | Jack Smith | BJR | Chevrolet | +1.6887s |
