Saturday’s on-track action started off with two qualifying sessions for Races 11 and 12, with both sessions being set in a two-part knockout qualifying session. After the first day of racing on Friday, teams used their data to refine their cars for today.
Race 11 Qualifying
With Race 11 qualifying on the soft Dunlop tyre, all drivers headed out into a colder track position than yesterday. After the first set of flying laps, yesterday’s pole-sitter Matthew Payne sat at the top again with a 1.21.582, two tenths ahead of Will Brown. The Grove Racing driver was on a faster second lap, but abandoned it for a new set of softs.
Andre Heimgartner sat in eleventh, with Ryan Wood sitting in thirteenth after yesterday’s podium. At this stage of the session, championship leader Brodie Kostecki sat in seventeenth.
With two minutes to go, drivers started to cross the line to set their last two flying laps. Payne was able to set a triumphant 1.21.160, the fastest lap of the weekend so far, just ahead of Wood with a 1.21.204. Heimgartner was able to set a 1.21.643, which left him on the cut line when the chequered flag fell.
Heimgartner was able to hold on to tenth, meaning all three Kiwis headed into the second part of the session. Payne and Wood were first and second, ahead of Kostecki, Feeney, and Kai Allen. Jayden Ojeda was the only Camaro to make it to the second half of Race 11 qualifying.
With only ten minutes for the second half of the session, both Grove Racing cars, Feeney, Ojeda and Wood headed out to set a banker lap. Payne went to the top again with a 1.21.483, but was eclipsed by Wood with a 1.21.440. Impressively, Wood went to the top even though a moment in Turn 3 kicked up a lot of dust, sent him wide, and almost certainly cost him time.
Wood immediately went for a second push lap and improved to a 1.21.344, giving him a tenth of breathing room over compatriot Payne.
Heimgartner made it a Kiwi 1-2-3- with four minutes to go after setting a 1.21.604. He was unable to go for a second push lap after the remaining five drivers headed out of the lane to set their laps.
After setting his two flying laps earlier on, Wood headed into the lane and got out of the car, ending his session. The track quickly improved as Kostecki, Aaron Cameron, Allen, and Feeney all improved to go ahead of the Kiwis, with Kostecki setting a mammoth 1.21.033 to be comfortably at the top by over two tenths.
Payne would be the last driver to set a lap for pole, and after a purple sector 1, he was unable to beat Kostecki’s lap and finished in second with a 1.21.068.
Kostecki and Payne would share the front row, ahead of Cameron, Allen, Feeney, Wood, Brown, James Golding, Heimgartner, and Ojeda.
Race 12 Qualifying
As part of the new qualifying format, teams are unable to make changes as the cars go into Parc Ferme between sessions, while drivers have to adapt to driving on the different super soft tyre.
Wood set a statement lap with a 1.21.213 early on, which put him at the top and a tenth and a half ahead of Payne, with De Pasquale sitting as the top Camaro in third. Heimgartner, after his first flying lap, sat down the order in eighteenth.
Kostecki, while sitting in sixth, expressed concerns about his car’s balance during the session. With teams unable to make changes, this adds an element of uncertainty for drivers to deal with during the session.
Wood elected to sit out the remainder of the first session, feeling comfortable with his lap at the top of the timesheets. Payne improved his lap time to 1.21.321, which still left him in second. Heimgartner also improved his lap time to 1.21.660, but this left him in eleventh place, below the cut line. He finished the session as the top Brad Jones Racing car.
After a rough Race 11 qualifying, Chaz Mostert was unable to make the top 10 and finished fifteenth. Brown also struggled in the super soft, finishing the session in sixteenth. Three Camaros made the top 10 in this session.
In the second part of the session, Feeney drew first blood with a 1.21.795, but was quickly beaten by Payne and Wood, both setting laps in the 1.21.400’s. Allen went into third, marginally ahead of Feeney.
With all drivers heading out for a final set of flying laps, most drivers kept their old super soft rubber on, while Wood mounted a set of new, green super softs.
The tyre gamble certainly paid off as Wood set a 1.21.095, going almost three tenths ahead of Payne to take pole for Race 12. Kostecki finished in third, ahead of Payne’s teammate Allen.
Race 11 kicks off at 12:45pm today.
Header image: Walkinshaw TWG Racing
