Brown takes back to back Sandown poles

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 14 September 2024

Will Brown and Scott Pye will start the 60th anniversary Sandown 500 from pole position after the championship leader nailed a tricky shootout.

On a dry track full of puddles in cool conditions, Brown produced a 1:10.2549 to edge Cameron Waters by 0.0647s and replicate his 2023 effort.

Whilst the championship leader went back to back on Sandown’s Shootout Saturday, it was a big relief being just his second pole of 2024.

It was a tough session with puddles and cool conditions catching out some big names, while Anton De Pasquale made a big leap from 10th to third ahead of Brodie Kostecki and Broc Feeney.

This is how the one-lap fight for the coveted 60th anniversary pole position unfolded…

P3 Anton De Pasquale 1:10.3564

De Pasquale just snuck into the one lap dash but his lap was impacted before it even began.

He got crossed up coming out of the final corner, which massively impacted his run onto the front straight

Came close to the wall coming out of turn 4 and managed to splash through the puddles to produce a solid 1:10.3564.

Being the pioneer De Pasquale said it was difficult.

“It is super slippery and nearly spun starting my lap. Don’t think I have ever done that before but shows how slippery it is,” he said.

P8 Andre Heimgartner 1:11.1186

Despite a clean start to the lap, Heimgartner, was a tenth down at the first split but had a better run down the back straight to be fractionally ahead of the Ford.

However, the Kiwi lost a lot of time in the final sector, having a slide at Turn 9 and ended up seven tenths down.

“Pretty sketchy didn’t quite piece it together,” was Heimgartner’s reaction.

P7 Richie Stanaway 1:10.9297

Stanaway was clean throughout the lap but could not quite get the power down coming out of the final corner and ended up half a second adrift of De Pasquale.

P4 Brodie Kostecki 1:10.5309

Kostecki was the first to more or less match De Pasquale at the first split despite having a wobbly approach to Turn 2.

The Erebus Camaro was fast across the back straight to go purple and went deep into Dandenong Road.

However, Kostecki ended up falling a tenth short after losing time in the final sector.

“It was pretty tricky and the car has not been great over one lap so to add water to that was not great,” Kostecki said.

P1 Will Brown 1:10.2549

The championship leader sent it through turns 2 and 3 to be the first to beat De Pasquale at the first split having used all the kerb coming out of the chicane.

Despite a little bobble under braking at Turn 9, Brown carried on his momentum with another purple final sector to finally knock off the DJR driver by a tenth and it ended up being enough.

“It was a good lap. Tidy enough but was a little bit loose,” Brown said.

P2 Cameron Waters 1:10.3196

Waters got off to a flying start and was up by a tenth after the first two sectors.

The Tickford star looked poised to at least challenge Brown for provisional pole being 0.004s up by a tenth until it all went begging at the very end.

Waters missed the apex at the final turn and lost two tenths in the one moment, which cost him pole as he ended up 0.065s down.

“It was a lucky dip. Pretty weird conditions with all the rain and the dirt but pretty happy with that,” Waters said.

P10: Ryan Wood 1:20.9117

In his first Sandown 500 Wood was not holding back in the one lap dash and set a purple first sector.

By the time he arrived at Dandenong Road, he gave it everything and carried way too much speed, rode over the kerb and found the inside grass whilst out of control, but somehow stopped his #2 Mustang from spinning and crashing before touring the gravel.

“It is one of those things only happens once and thought I would have a crack but pushed a bit too much,” Wood said.

“I am gutted for the team but long day tomorrow.”

P9: Matt Payne 1:11.6688

Payne was on the back foot after conceding six tenths in the opening sector alone and struggled to regain time. Being the first to drive in the mess caused by Wood would not have helped.

Ended up a distant 1.4s off the pace.

P6: Chaz Mostert 1:10.7807

On a roaded tyre Mostert was committed throughout the opening sequence and just got it stopped at turn 2.

Was three tenths down at the first split and ended up half a second off Brown’s leading time.

“I don’t have a lot to say to be honest. Not sure. Didn’t feel hooked up and didn’t get temp into the tyre,” Mostert said.

P5: Broc Feeney 1:10.6535

The provisional pole sitter had a big task to snatch pole position off his teammate.

He started strong being just 0.098s from the best first sector, but lost time as the lap went on and ended up fifth.

Image: Mark Horsburgh

2024 Sandown 500

Practice 1: 1: C. Waters 1:08.7478 2: C. Mostert +0.1445 3: D. Reynolds +0.1834

Practice 2: 1: S. Pye 1:08.8398 2: D. Fraser +0.0780 3: D. O’Keeffe +0.0785

Practice 3: 1: J. Le Brocq 1:08.2772 2: W. Brown +0.0394 3: A. Heimgartner +0.1377

Practice 4: 1: R. Stanaway 1:14.4910 2: B. Feeney +0.0361 3: L. Holdsworth +0.0422

Practice 5: 1: W. Brown 1:13.0865 2: R. Stanaway +0.1550 3: M. Payne +0.1586

Qualifying: 1: B. Feeney 1:12.8980 2: C. Mostert +0.0404 3: M. Payne +0.0879

Top 10 Shootout: Sat 17.20

Warm up: Sun 9.55

Race: Sun 14.05 161 laps

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Brown takes back to back Sandown poles

2024 Sandown 500

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