Supercars: Kostecki locks down pole for Bathurst 1000

Brodie Kostecki has secured his maiden ARMOR ALL pole position for Sunday’s Repco Bathurst 1000 in an exciting Shootout at Mt Panorama.

The West Australian 25-year-old’s lap time blitzed the rest of the field on Saturday afternoon by 0.4830s which is the biggest Bathurst 1000 pole winning margin since Greg Murphy’s ‘Lap of the Gods’ in 2003.

It wasn’t even the perfect lap. Kostecki showed signs of nerves on the opening corner of his flying Shootout lap, dragging his #99 Coca-Cola Camaro onto the dirt.

He recovered from there to put in a scintillating lap time of 2.04.271 to secure his 7th pole position of 2023 and 8th for his career, and the first for Erebus Motorsport since David Reynolds in 2018.

Team owner Betty Kilmenko was in tears after Kostecki’s lap, with the emotion of the youngster’s first Bathurst pole position overwhelming for the 2017 Bathurst 1000 Champion team owner.

Starting alongside Kostecki and his teammate David Russell on the front row of the Mount Panorama grid will be another youngster – Red Bull’s #88 driver Broc Feeney and his four-time Bathurst winner co-driver, the great Jamie Whincup.

Cam Waters was the best of the Ford drivers in the Monster Mustang, and will start from third spot with co-driver James Moffat.

James Golding in the Nulon Racing Camaro will start from 4th spot after his best ever qualifying and Shootout result ahead of Anton De Pasquale, who is 5th in the Shell Mustang.

Defending Bathurst Champions Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander will start 6th and 7th with their new teammates ahead of Ford rookie Matt Payne, two-time King of the Mountain Chaz Mostert and two-time winner Will Davison.

“It means a lot to the whole team, we’ve been fast all weekend,” said Kostecki, who has taken three of the last five poles this season, and seven in total in 2023.

“I thought I threw it all away at Turn 1, I have a delta on the dash and I knew I had a bit of time to make up. That little mistake, I thought it was gonna cost me.

“The car was awesome across the top, I just threw it down the hill, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it down the other side.

“I was very happy to get through the Dipper there, I knew going down Conrod I was on a good lap, so I didn’t have to stuff it up.

“Very proud of this whole team, really excited to be starting off the front row tomorrow.”

With the grid now set, it all goes on the line tomorrow in the 60th anniversary Repco Bathurst 1000. 161-laps around Mount Panorama to decide the new Kings of the Mountain.

2023 Bathurst 1000 Starting Grid