Mostert snatches provisional pole in Red Bull disaster
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 2 December 2022
Chaz Mostert has claimed provisional pole with a record-breaking time in an eventful Supercars Qualifying session to set the Top 10 Shootout, which will not feature a single Triple Eight Commodore.
It was a disaster for Red Bull Ampol Racing with Broc Feeney starting in P17 and championship leader Shane van Gisbergen last.
Van Gisbergen did not set an early time due to a kerb strike, which left it all to the final lap where the three-time champion made a rare mistake, locking up and running wide at the final corner.
The Kiwi has not qualified outside the top 10 for 22 races and must replicate the feats of Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife and charge from last to first if he is to continue his winning streak.
Across a crazy 15 minutes where the track kept getting faster, Mostert’s 1:18.6763 set a new Qualifying lap record, beating van Gisbergen’s benchmark set in 2017 by almost four tenths.
Car #25 finished a tenth clear of Anton De Pasquale and Scott Pye, while Tickford teammates James Courtney and Cameron Waters completed the top five.
Other feel good stories to make the 10 were the likes of James Golding, Todd Hazelwood and Thomas Randle, who will return to the Shootout and will be joined by David Reynolds and Andre Heimgartner as the beneficiaries of Triple Eight Race Engineering’s struggles.
The sun was shining on Chaz Mostert as he flew to the top of Qualifying in Adelaide. Image: Mark Horsburgh/EDGE Photographics
“Anytime you can top a Supercars session is always exhilarating but it is pretty emotional being the last weekend for Holden,” Mostert said.
“I do not know the last time we have topped a Qualifying session and we have been really chasing the car all weekend.
“I did not know our car had the time in it. We kept making the car better and better and it was fast enough to top that session, but I still think there is a little bit of work we can do.”
After two Practice sessions to get used to the returning circuit and its new track surface, things got serious in Qualifying.
Dick Johnson Racing made the early move with De Pasquale leading Will Davison before Andre Heimgartner displaced both Shell Mustangs.
The Fords immediately responded with both DJR cars returning to the top with Davison leading de Pasquale this time around.
Neither Shane van Gisbergen or Broc Feeney will feature in the Top 10 Shootout after a disastrous Qualifying. Image: Mark Horsburgh/EDGE Photographics
Fords filled four of the top fix positions with Van Gisbergen hurt by an early kerb strike and sat down in P24 at the halfway mark albeit without a representative time.
Just 0.271s split top 10 after first six minutes, but with the track getting faster and the temperature dropping, everything came down to the frantic final minutes.
Heimgartner was the first to set a late lap and climbed from 13th to the top with the fastest number of the weekend, while teammate Macauley Jones rose to an impressive third.
Hazelwood jumped to second setting the fastest first sector and coming 0.0428s away from provisional pole as the top 15 was split by just 0.38s until the crazy finish where Mostert trumped De Pasquale.
Jack Smith hit fence on exit of Senna Chicane and the impact wiped his name from the session and will share the last row with van Gisbergen.
With the pre race favourite starting last, a classic opening race of the VALO Adelaide 500 is a certainty, but the fight for pole in tomorrow’s Shootout will also be unmissable with five Holdens and Fords facing off.
Qualifying Race 33 results
1: Chaz Mostert 1:18.6763
2: Anton De Pasquale +0.1330
3: Scott Pye +0.1470
4: James Courtney +0.2515
5: Cameron Waters +0.3017
6: David Reynolds +0.3240
7: James Golding +0.4099
8: Andre Heimgartner +0.4673
9: Todd Hazelwood +0.5101
10: Thomas Randle +0.5248
Full results CLICK HERE
2022 VALO Adelaide 500 schedule
Saturday, December 3
11.00-11.30 Supercars Practice 3
12.35-13.05 Supercars Top 10 Shootout
14.45-17.15 Supercars Race 33 (78 laps)
Sunday, December 4
11.00-11.15 Supercars Qualifying
12.05-12.35 Supercars Top 10 Shootout
14.15-16.45 Supercars Race 34 (78 laps)
For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.
AUTO ACTION, Australia’s independent voice of motorsport.
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