Kostecki secures fifth pole of 2026 as Triple Eight faces qualifying challenges
Brodie Kostecki has secured his fifth Boost Mobile Pole Award of 2026, overcoming a recent health scare in Darwin to claim pole position in Townsville. Kostecki was marginally faster than Cam Waters, with a difference of just 0.03 seconds in Friday’s qualifying session. This performance positions him for the upcoming sprint race.
Meanwhile, the qualifying sessions proved difficult for Triple Eight Fords. Both championship leader Broc Feeney and 2024 champion Will Brown will start outside the top 15 for Race 20. Their struggles continued into Saturday’s qualifying for Race 2, where Brown finished 12th and Feeney 18th, missing out on the Top 10 Shootout.
Triple Eight’s Qualifying Difficulties
During Friday’s Q1 session, all 26 cars participated after a practice session was cut short due to a red flag incident involving Jack Le Brocq. Waters initially set a strong pace with a 1:13.4160s lap. Kostecki then surpassed Waters by 0.0470s before the final run. Feeney, however, found himself in 17th position, reporting that his #88 Ford felt as though it was on a wet tyre.
The challenges for Red Bull Ampol Racing intensified when Brown caused a red flag. His left front wheel became loose after exiting pit lane. Brown, who was provisionally in the transfer zone, lost his fastest time due to regulations. Despite returning to the track, he reported that something still felt broken. By the end of the session, Feeney was 16th and Brown 19th.
Waters then recorded a 1:12.9635s, significantly faster than Chaz Mostert in second place, with Thomas Randle maintaining third. Anton De Pasquale, who had won the most recent race in Darwin, was eliminated in 14th.
In Saturday’s qualifying for Race 2, Brown held the fastest time midway through the second segment but opted against a second run. This decision proved costly as he dropped to 12th, failing to make the Top 10 Shootout. Brown explained that running another set of tyres to potentially reach the top six would mean having no new tyres for the shootout, likely resulting in a lower starting position for the race anyway.
He stated, “We took the chance that we might not get through, but we’ll have greens (new tyres) and all that. We were hoping to get through, that was the plan, but it didn’t happen.” Brown added that the outcome was likely only a few spots worse than if they had used more tyres, and they now have new tyres for the race.
Kostecki’s Pole Position and Race Outlook
In Q2 on Friday, the session was set for eight minutes to determine the pole position. Six Fords, two Walkinshaw TWG Racing Toyotas, and Chevrolets driven by Jayden Ojeda and Le Brocq were among the contenders. Kostecki was the first to set a competitive time with a 1:12.8214s, a tenth quicker than Waters’ Q1 benchmark. Waters then came within three hundredths of Kostecki’s time.
However, Waters’ tyres faded during his final lap, allowing Kostecki to secure his fifth pole of the year. Matt Payne was 0.2144s behind in third, with Mostert starting alongside him on the second row. Randle finished fifth, followed by Kai Allen, Ryan Wood, Le Brocq, Ojeda, and James Golding, completing the top 10.
For Saturday’s qualifying, provisional pole position went to Payne, ahead of Kostecki. Wood was third fastest after an overnight engine change. Friday’s race winner, Waters, placed fourth, while Golding secured fifth despite a starter motor failure. The top 10 for Saturday’s qualifying included Randle, Rylan Gray, Aaron Cameron, Allen, and Mostert. De Pasquale was the highest-placed Chevrolet Camaro driver in 11th, missing the Top 10 Shootout by a narrow margin of 0.0015s.
Kostecki also paid tribute to an injured mechanic, Charlie Blanshard, who was watching from the hospital after sustaining an injury during a pitstop in a previous race. Kostecki expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance and looked forward to the race. The 35-lap Race 20 is scheduled to begin at 4:15pm AEST, while the 68-lap Race 21 is set for 3:05pm.
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Source: supercars.com
