Matthew Payne has continued his hot streak in qualifying, coming home as the lead Kiwi in a close Boost Mobile Qualifying session and Top Ten Shootout. It was a tricker session for Andre Heimgartner and Ryan Wood, with slower pace and a mistake on a hot lap being costly to the pair.
Straight out the gate, Payne headed to the top for a short period with a 1.06.6, but was quickly overthrown as the track improved. The Kiwi was able to fight back, heading back to the top with a 1.06.1, ahead of Brodie Kostecki and Jack LeBrocq.
Heimgartner was an early feature in the first part of qualifying, sitting in fourth provisionally, just over two tenths behind Payne.
In a unique strategy to preserve tyres, both Mostert and Wood decided to wait until the last moment to make a run. Thankfully for Wood, there was no red flag and he was able to slot into sixth position.
With Payne statistically the best qualifier on the grid on the super soft tyre, Grove elected to leave him in the lane to preserve tyres whilst sitting at the top of the order. Heimgartner finished seventh after being moved down by compatriot Wood.
Rylan Grey, Anton De Pasquale, Cameron Hill, Jackson Walls, Jobe Stewart, and Macauley Jones were all eliminated in the first part of qualifying.
The top ten in the next session would move forward to the top ten shootout.
Yesterday’s winner, Cam Waters, headed straight to the top, just edging ahead of Payne by half a tenth. Heimgartner sat in eighth, just ahead of the cut line while Wood and Walkinshaw TWG Racing elected to once again run the risk of a yellow or red flag and wait until the last moment to set a lap.
Heimgartner held a purple first sector with two minutes to go, and slotted into ninth. Payne headed to third, where he remained until the end of the session.
Wood’s dying-moment sprint did not pay off as he made a mistake on one of his only laps, veering off the track while struggling for braking stability.
Unfortunately, Heimgartner was unable to hold on to his top ten spot, leaving Payne as the only Kiwi in the shootout.
Will Brown, Declan Frazer, Cooper Murray, Jayden Ojeda, Heimgartner, Aaron Cameron, Wood, and David Reynolds were eliminated, leaving seven Fords, two Chevrolets, and a singular Toyota in the top 10.
Top Ten Shootout
With the shootout order based on the finishing position for the last qualifying session, Payne would take to the track eighth.
At the time the Kiwi headed out, Mostert was on top with a 1.06.303, marginally ahead of Kai Allen by a tenth and half.
Payne’s Mustang looked uncomfortable in the entry of Turn 1 but was still on the pace of Mostert, and was almost a tenth up on the Toyota after sector two.
A great last sector catapulted Payne to provisional pole by 0.097 of a second, with the Kiwi elated over the radio after the lap.
Waters immediately overthrew Payne by over a tenth and a half, and Kostecki was unable to go faster, leaving Waters on pole and Payne in third.
Race 18 kicks off at 5:50pm NZST.
