It was a day of drama, redemption and jaw-dropping speed in Darwin as the 2025 Supercars Championship qualifying for Race 19 delivered a thriller, headlined by a scintillating late-session flyer from Ryan Wood, who topped the timesheets and led a powerful showing from the Kiwi contingent.
With only four New Zealanders on track following Jaxon Evans’ heavy crash in Race 17, which left his car too damaged to continue this weekend, it was up to Ryan Wood, Matt Payne, Andre Heimgartner, and Richie Stanaway to fly the flag in the scorching top end heat. And fly they did, at least for three of them.
Session One:
Qualifying opened with Broc Feeney setting the pace early at 1:07.186, but it wasn’t long before the Kiwi trio of Heimgartner, Stanaway, and Wood found their rhythm.
Heimgartner quickly went to the top with a 1:06.929, while Payne slotted into the top five. The field was ferociously close; less than four-hundredths separated the top five at one point.
But the drama escalated as drivers bolted on fresh tyres for a final attempt to break into the top 18. Chaz Mostert clawed back from 19th to 5th, while Kai Allen rocketed to the top with a 1:06.376.
Wood delivered a composed flyer to move from 10th to 7th, confirming his place in the next stage. But it was heartbreak for Stanaway, who couldn’t improve enough on his final lap and will start Race 19 from a lowly 22nd.
Among the big casualties were Nick Percat, Rylan Gray, David Reynolds, Cooper Murray and Aaron Cameron, who was second fastest earlier but tumbled out after a scrappy end to the session.
Session Two:
With the Top 18 reset and fresh tyres bolted on, Stage 2 saw times tumble yet again. Will Brown fired the first shot with a 1:06.353, and the hunt for a Top 10 Shootout berth was on.
Wood and Payne initially found themselves on the wrong side of the cut line, sitting 14th and 15th, while Feeney was also at risk in 13th. But the final laps of the session saw absolute chaos unfold, and it was Kiwi brilliance that stole the show.
Payne surged from 14th to the top, only to be instantly eclipsed by his teammate Allen, who threw down a blinding 1:06.071 lap, nearly two-tenths clear of the field and the fastest lap of qualifying so far.
It was a statement lap, made even more impressive by how tightly bunched the field was, just two and a half tenths covering the eventual top 10.
Le Brocq, bouncing back from his horror crash in Race 17, briefly held the provisional pole before being displaced, while Heimgartner timed his flyer perfectly to go 3rd fastest.
Meanwhile, the tension was high as several big names fell by the wayside. Cam Waters, Brodie Kostecki, and Will Brown—three drivers often seen fighting for poles, were shock eliminations, unable to improve in the final moments.
When the dust settled, three Kiwis were locked into the Top 10 Shootout: Wood (1st), Heimgartner (6th), and Payne (8th). It’s an impressive turnaround for Grove Racing, whose drivers, Wood and Payne, led the charge with exceptional timing, tyre strategy and raw pace.
Wood’s late-session heroics not only earned him the top spot in qualifying but also underlined his growing status as a genuine contender in the 2025 season.
Even more remarkable was Anton De Pasquale sneaking into the shootout in P7, despite reportedly having no clutch in a field where hundredths of a second matter, his effort was nothing short of gritty.
Only six-tenths covered 18 drivers and two tenths covering the top 10, it was an extremely tight session.
What’s Next:
The Top 10 Shootout kicks off at 2:05 pm NZT, where the fastest 10 will battle it out one lap at a time for pole position in Race 19. All eyes will be on Wood to see if he can convert his form into a front-row start or whether another late-session stunner awaits.
Top 10 Advancing to the Shootout:
- Ryan Wood
- Macauley Jones
- Broc Feeney
- Jack Le Brocq
- Kai Allen
- Andre Heimgartner
- Anton De Pasquale
- Matt Payne
- Cameron Hill
- Chaz Mostert
Eliminated from Stage 2:
Brown, Kostecki, Fullwood, Davison, Courtney, Waters, Randle, and Golding.
From heartbreak to heroics, the Kiwi squad has already left its mark on the Darwin Triple Crown, and with the shootout still to come, the best might be yet to come.
Header Image: Supercars
