Matt Payne, Ryan Wood, and Chaz Mostert made the top 10 shootout at the Bend Motorsport Park, while the other Kiwi drivers set fast times to all sit in the top 20 ahead of Sunday’s race.
Qualifying
Qualifying at the Bend began with a 20-minute session to determine the drivers advancing to the shootout and positions 11-27.
Payne and Wood demonstrated their speed from the start by taking 2nd and 4th, respectively, on their first laps.
When everyone pitted mid-session, Payne dropped to 7th, while Jaxon Evans was the best performing Kiwi in 5th.
Wood took the provisional pole over Anton De Pasquale in his second flying lap with a fast time of 1:49.546, and held the lead going into the final laps at the end of the session.
Payne still sat in 7th, and Chaz Mostert, who is racing with Kiwi co-driver Fabian Coulthard, was also in the top 10, in 9th place. Andre Heimgartner was just behind in 12th.
Richie Stanaway held off on his laps until the end of the race, pushing for one chance at getting the best time with green tyres.
Wood came out quick and earned his fastest time of the session, earning a 1:49.547 lap time to get into 4th and qualify for the top 10 shootout.
Heimgartner and Evans ended next to each other, earning 14th and 15th, respectively, finishing with just 0.185s between their times.
Stanaway was able to improve his position and secure a spot in the top 20, finishing with a time of 1:50.127 to earn 19th place.
Payne just secured his place in the shootout, sitting in 10th after the other drivers finished, and set the last time of 1:49.679, moving up to 7th.
Reigning champion Will Brown missed out on qualifying for the shootout, finishing down in 16th.
Top 10 shootout
Cooper Murray was the first driver out, setting the pace at his first shootout at the Bend with a time of 1:49.866.
Anton De Pasquale came out fast, finishing the first sector 0.25s ahead of Murray and taking first with all three purple sectors and a quick 1:49.267.
Next was Chaz Mostert, taking a slightly different curb strategy that put him between the first drivers after the first sector, earning a time of 1:49.682 overall to slot into second place.
Payne came out ready to challenge for pole, earning a purple sector one before being 0.001s behind De Pasquale after sector two. The Kiwi held on and earned an impressive 1:49.133, taking the top spot.
Thomas Randle was next, aiming to get a second pole at the Bend after earning it in 2023. He was only 0.01s behind after the first sector and earned purple on the second, taking the top spot at the end with a 1:48.934.
Cameron Hill was roaring off the start, taking three purple sectors with his tight lines and earning a 1:48.757, putting him in the running for his first pole position.
The second Kiwi driver, Ryan Wood, also went out for his first shootout at the Bend, earning purple for the first second before coming off the track and running through the grass, ruining his fast time and putting him at the back of the grid.
Cam Waters came out just behind Hill, sitting just 0.04s behind him after earning green at sector two, finishing with 11:48.868 to sit in second position.
Red Bull driver Broc Feeney was set to challenge for pole position and earned a purple on the first sector, 0.111s ahead of Hill’s time. His second sector put him back into 2nd, but he recovered in the end and took the provisional pole with 1:48.654.
Brodie Kostecki came out last after topping qualifying, but was unable to top Broc’s first sector, sitting 0.222s behind at that point. He kept it tight by earning the fastest sector two, but a 1:48.783 put him in third.
Broc Feeney claimed his 14th pole position at the Bend and will be starting in the front row for the first enduro race of the season, alongside Hill.
“I’m stoked. I knew yesterday with the times that we did in the afternoon it was gonna have to be a big lap in the shootout and I’m super happy with the lap.”
