Sceats pips Hedge for NZ Grand Prix pole

Liam Sceats will start Sunday’s 68th running of the New Zealand Grand Prix from pole, topping Callum Hedge by just 0.036 seconds in a thrilling qualifying session at Highlands.

Alex Crosbie also performed admirably and will start Sunday’s feature in fifth.

The three-stage qualifying results were used to determine the New Zealand Grand Prix grid, with the overall results from the first phase setting the starting positions for this afternoon’s opening Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship race.

Sceats will also start at the front in that outing, qualifying second fastest in Q1 but elevated to pole after championship leader Roman Bilinski crashed out.

“It’s great to be in the best seat in the house for the Grand Prix but the job’s not done and there’s plenty more work to do,” said M2 Competition’s young gun afterwards. “I hate to see accidents, but it’s a great surprise to have two pole positions.”

Bilinski’s crash could have significant ramifications in the championship battle with the Kiwi, with his 56-point advantage now under threat. Having set the fastest lap in Q1, he was relegated three places on Race 1’s starting grid to fourth.

Hedge jumps to the front row for a Kiwi lockout in the same order as it will be in Sunday’s New Zealand Grand Prix.

The crash also saw the championship leader forced to sit out Q2, and he will start the New Zealand Grand Prix from 13th.

Titus Sherlock also ran into trouble in Q1 and crashed out earlier in the session.

Kaleb Ngatoa progressed to Q2 from sixth, as did Alex Crosbie in ninth. Sebastian Manson will start Race 1 and the New Zealand Grand Prix from 14th.

The top eight from Q2 were to progress to Q3, with Hedge topping Gerrard Xie and Sceats to move on as the fastest. Ngatoa and Crosbie also set times good enough to qualify.

However, late incidents in the session brought further drama, with Michael Shin hitting the wall exiting the final corner and Ngatoa following suit at the same place just moments later as the chequered flag flew.

Both progressed to Q3 but sat out the pole shootout with significant damage, leaving six cars on track to determine the front three rows for the Grand Prix.

Sceats, Hedge, Jacob Abel, Bryce Aron, Xie and Crosbie exchanged times over the 12 minutes, with Hedge leading the way over Sceats with a 1:27.756 through the mid-stages.

Sceats would improve on his time, setting a 1:27.720 to enter the closing stages with a 0.036-second advantage over his compatriot. Neither would improve over their final laps, seeing the pole go the way of the M2 Competition driver over the MTEC Motorsport competitor.

Abel, who battled through qualifying with no radio, qualified third, two-tenths behind the pair and has Xie for company on the second row. Crosbie jumped Andretti Global’s Aron on his final lap to take a commendable fifth.

Having not taken to the track in Q3, Ngatoa will start off the fourth row.

68th New Zealand Grand Prix Starting Grid

Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship Highlands Race 1 Grid