Bathurst 1000: Kostecki seals pole as Kiwi Ryan Wood starts fourth

Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood's Mustang on action at Bathurst. Photo / Photosport

Eric Thompson at Bathurst

Sunny but windy conditions welcomed the 10 Supercars drivers to take on the Mount Panorama circuit and set the fastest lap time to grab pole in the Top 10 Shootout.

Brodie Kostecki delivered a lap for the ages late on Saturday afternoon (local time) to go into the record books and snatch his third Bathurst 1000 pole in a row.

“It’s a pretty special moment to be honest, three in a row,” Kostecki said. “It was really awesome, and I can’t wait until tomorrow to go racing with my good mate Toddy [co-driver Todd Hazelwood].

“It wasn’t my best lap and as Cam [Waters] set such a good time, I just had to go for it. We’re now just focusing on the race, and I think we’re going to have a good race car.”

The scintillating run built on Friday’s record-setting qualifying session when the reigning Bathurst champion pulled out a blistering lap to claim provisional pole.

The single-lap showdown was seat-of-the-pants stuff with each driver setting impressive lap times. The margins were razor-thin with cars on the ragged edge as drivers tried to squeeze every ounce out of man and machine.

Kiwi Ryan Wood converted his practice speed into an attacking lap to lock in a fourth-place start for the great race alongside his teammate Chaz Mostert.

“We’re in with a shot starting the second row of the grid for the biggest race of the year,” Wood said.

“I’m alongside Chaz, who I would like to have been faster than, but we’re working together as a team this weekend to make sure the Peter Brock trophy comes back into this garage [Walkinshaw Andretti Racing].

“I made a bit of a meal of it across the top, but to be P4 in my first ever Bathurst shoot out is amazing. Honestly, it feels like my first ever shoot out because the nerves and feelings are nothing I felt before.”

All the drivers in the field want to make the top 10 shoot out for two reasons.

Firstly, to show the rest of the field they and their car are in the sweet spot and ready to race. Secondly, the desire to have the Mount Panorama circuit wholly to themselves with no distractions to see exactly how fast they can go.

“It was weird having the track to myself and I didn’t have to check the mirrors. We go from here tomorrow and I hope Juice [Jayden Ojeda co-driver] starts first and we’ll go out there and smash it,” Wood said.

With the top 10 shoot out now out of the way, teams can concentrate on fettling away to prepare the best race car possible to attack the mountain in an effort to etch their name on the Peter Brock Trophy and become a Bathurst 1000 immortal.

With Wood starting fourth, the next-best Kiwi, Matthew Payne, will start 18th, followed by Andre Heimgartner (19th), Richie Stanaway (23rd) and Jaxon Evans (24th). The only New Zealand co-driver in the field Fabian Coulthard, partnering Mostert, will start third.

Cam Waters will start second on the front row with Broc Feeney fifth, followed by Copper Murray, Thomas Randle, Cameron Hill, Anton De Pasquale and Nick Percat rounding out the top 10.

Sunday’s weather looks a little unsettled during race time, which will make things very interesting indeed when added to gusty wind conditions and safety cars.