Brodie Kostecki has secured a stunning pole position for Race 20 of the 2025 Supercars Championship in Townsville after a close-knit two-part qualifying session that saw fractions of a second separate the field, and all five Kiwis fighting tooth and nail for strong starting spots.
Part 1: The Cutthroat Fight for the Top 10
With just 10 spots available in Part 2 of qualifying, the opening segment proved ferociously competitive.
Drivers wasted no time laying down laps on the 2.85km street circuit, with Bryce Fullwood, Kai Allen, Thomas Randle, and Broc Feeney all trading places at the top in the early exchanges.
Matt Payne flew the Kiwi flag high during the initial runs, briefly sitting third with a 1:13.460, just 0.098s off Allen’s benchmark. Jaxon Evans also showed pace, climbing to ninth midway through before being bumped to 10th by fellow Kiwi Andre Heimgartner.
The real indicative lap times came after drivers pitted for fresh tyres and a splash of fuel. The lap times began tumbling, with Feeney, Payne, Allen, and eventually Kostecki all taking turns atop the timing sheets. Kostecki’s 1:12.794 reset the benchmark with a lap nearly three tenths faster than the field.
Ryan Wood rocketed up to third with an excellent 1:12.958, just 0.013s behind Cam Waters, while Payne clung to the top 10 in a nail-biting finish. The margin between first and 10th was just three-tenths of a second, underlining the closeness of the session.
The final moments saw several big names fail to break through. Feeney’s last-ditch effort wasn’t enough, leaving him 14th, while his teammate Will Brown fared worse in 20th, six tenths off the pace.
Richie Stanaway ended up 12th, just three tenths away from the top spot, while Allen missed out in 13th. Heimgartner was 15th, with Evans back in 23rd.
The Kiwis through to Part 2 were Matt Payne and Ryan Wood, while Stanaway, Heimgartner, Allen, and Evans were all eliminated.
Top 10 Advancing to Part 2 – Kostecki, Fullwood, Mostert, Waters, Wood, De Pasquale, Le Brocq, Randle, Davison, Payne.
Part 2: Kostecki Seals the Deal
The final 10-car shootout began with only a handful of drivers heading out early, including Randle, De Pasquale, Davison, Waters, and Fullwood. Randle initially went fastest with a 1:13.057 as others saved their tyres for a single flying lap.
Jack Le Brocq was first to return to the track for a late flier and laid down a mighty effort to take provisional pole by two tenths, only to be shuffled back moments later.
Payne struck next, topping the table with a strong 1:12.619, but was quickly outdone by Cam Waters, who edged ahead by a tenth. Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood slotted into 5th and 6th, respectively, as the clock wound down.
In the dying seconds, Kostecki delivered once more, stringing together a clean and clinical lap to steal pole from Waters by 0.084s with a 1:12.535, his first pole since returning to full-time competition earlier this season.
De Pasquale and Davison claimed spots on the second row, with Payne set to start 4th in an impressive showing. Wood, meanwhile, will start Race 20 from 10th.
Race 20 Starting Grid – Top 10
- Brodie Kostecki – 1:12.535
- Cam Waters – +0.084s
- Will Davison – +0.191s
- Matt Payne (NZL) – +0.192s
- Anton De Pasquale – +0.198s
- Jack Le Brocq – +0.275s
- Thomas Randle – +0.293s
- Bryce Fullwood – +0.297s
- Chaz Mostert – +0.350s
- Ryan Wood (NZL) – +0.359s
Kiwi Starting Positions for Race 20:
- Matt Payne – 4th
- Ryan Wood – 10th
- Richie Stanaway – 12th
- Andre Heimgartner – 15th
- Jaxon Evans – 23rd
With only six-tenths separating the top 20 and just over three-tenths covering the top 10, Race 20 is anyone’s game.
Header Image: Shell V-Power Racing Team
