Supercars News: Will Brown claims Sandown 500 pole position
Championship leader Will Brown has beaten Cam Waters to secure back-to-back Penrite Oil Sandown 500 pole positions in an action-packed Boost Mobile Shootout.
Brown beat Waters to pole by 0.06s in a thrilling Shootout at Sandown, with Anton De Pasquale a surprise third after going out first in the one-lap dash.
It’s Brown’s first pole since the season opening Bathurst 500, and is his second consecutive pole at Sandown after claiming it in 2023. It was the Toowoomba Red Bull #87 ace’s 7th career pole position. He was presented the Boost Mobile Pole Position Award by Collingwood’s AFL star, Jordan De Goey.
De Pasquale bowled a wide at the final corner before he even started his lap, but recovered to set a time that proved too far out of reach for the next three drivers.
Andre Heimgartner, Richie Stanaway and Brodie Kostecki were all unable to unseat the Shell Ford, before Brown set a 1:10.2549s to put his rivals on notice.
Waters slotted in just behind with a 1:10.3196s, leaving Ryan Wood, Matt Payne, Chaz Mostert and Feeney standing between Brown and a first pole since Bathurst in February.
Wood went fastest in the first sector, but lost control through the esses and surfed through the Turn 9 sand trap. Wood kept his car out of the beach, but left sand on the road on rejoin.
Payne was 1.4139s off the pace with his 1:11.6688s, with Mostert only fifth with a 1:10.7807s before Feeney was unable to deny his teammate consecutive Sandown poles.
“I knew it would just be who didn’t stuff up out there, so I was just trying not to screw it up,” said Brown, who scored his first pole position since Bathurst in February.
“I just put a clean lap together and I’m stoked to get the Boost Mobile Pole Award, I’m just ecstatic, it’s been a tough round for us the last couple, we got podiums, but I really wanted to get another pole this year and try and win this weekend.
“It was tough, between one and two there was a lot of water on the road, and even this last sector down here, there was a lot of water to try and finish your lap.
“Every time I went in there I was just thinking ‘Don’t stuff it up here, don’t stuff it up’ and maximize where it wasn’t wet.”
All up, 16 Chevrolet Camaros and 10 Ford Mustangs will tackle Sandown Motor Raceway on Sunday. The 161-lap race will commence at 2:05pm AEST.
The race will be broadcast live on Foxtel (Fox Sports 506) and streamed on Kayo. The Seven Network will provide highlights coverage of the event.
Starting grid: 2024 Penrite Oil Sandown 500
- Will Brown/Scott Pye (#87 Red Bull Ampol Chevrolet)
- Cam Waters/James Moffat (#6 Monster Energy Ford)
- Anton De Pasquale/Tony D’Alberto (#11 Shell V-Power Ford)
- Brodie Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood (#1 PowerPlay Chevrolet)
- Broc Feeney/Jamie Whincup (#88 Red Bull Ampol Chevrolet)
- Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Ford)
- Richie Stanaway/Dale Wood (#26 Penrite Ford)
- Andre Heimgartner/Declan Fraser (#8 R&J Batteries Chevrolet)
- Matt Payne/Garth Tander (#19 Penrite Ford)
- Ryan Wood/Fabian Coulthard (#2 Mobil 1 Truck Assist Ford)
- Nick Percat/Dylan O’Keeffe (#10 Bendix Chevrolet)
- James Courtney/Jack Perkins (#7 Snowy River Caravans Ford)
- Mark Winterbottom/Michael Caruso (#18 Cub Cadet Chevrolet)
- James Golding/David Russell (#31 PremIAir Nulon Chevrolet)
- Will Davison/Kai Allen (#17 Shell V-Power Ford)
- Tim Slade/Cameron McLeod (#23 PremiAir Nulon Chevrolet)
- David Reynolds/Warren Luff (#20 TRADIE Beer Chevrolet)
- Craig Lowndes/Cooper Murray (#888 Supercheap Auto Chevrolet)
- Jack Le Brocq/Jayden Ojeda (#9 Tyrepower Chevrolet)
- Jaxon Evans/Dean Fiore (#50 SCT Logistics Chevrolet)
- Thomas Randle/Tyler Everingham (#55 Castrol Ford)
- Cameron Hill/Cameron Crick (#4 SP Tools Chevrolet)
- Bryce Fullwood/Jaylyn Robotham (#14 Middy’s Electrical Chevrolet)
- Macauley Jones/Jordan Boys (#96 Pizza Hut Chevrolet)
- Matt Chahda/Brad Vaughan (#118 Boost Mobile Chevrolet)
Aaron Love/Aaron Cameron (#3 CoolDrive Ford)