Brown triggers pile-up, Stanaway quickest in qualifying shock
Will Brown crashes, Richie Stanaway quickest in qualifying shock
Championship leader to start 11th after causing dramatic pile-up
Chaz Mostert second, Cam Waters third, Broc Feeney fifth
High drama has hit the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 in qualifying, with championship leader Will Brown triggering a pile-up and Richie Stanaway quickest.
As drivers turned up the wick in the closing minutes, Brown spun out at Turn 11, leaving Nick Percat and Tim Slade with nowhere to go.
Stanaway fired in a 1:10.4448s before the crash, with championship contenders Chaz Mostert, Cam Waters and Broc Feeney also securing a Shootout berth.
The same couldn't be said for Brown, who lost his fastest lap after causing the red flag. The Triple Eight driver was demoted to 11th, promoting Brodie Kostecki into the Shootout.
"I've been locking rears in there the last two sessions and just thought I'd get it turned but didn't," Brown said.
"I just locked the rears. slapped the fence, and unfortunately I took a couple of other cars out of their qualy which I'm sorry to them, but these things happen it's the Gold Coast."
Under intense sunlight, after the leaders turned in their first laps, Cameron Hill set a 1:12.0604s, before Feeney set a 1:10.8684s. Waters (1:11.0020s) and Matt Payne (1:11.0770s) slotted in just behind, before Mostert went second with a 1:10.9949s.
Brown (1:10.9419s) and Waters (1:10.6580s) both moved up, before Mostert lowered the benchmark to a 1:10.5148s. Waters recorded a 1:10.6564s on his third push lap to marginally improve on his own time, but remained third.
At the midway point of the session, Mostert led Feeney by 0.0927s, with Waters, Kostecki, Brown, Jack Le Brocq, Thomas Randle, Andre Heimgartner, Mark Winterbottom and Payne completing the top 10.
Randle (fourth) and Anton De Pasquale (ninth) both improved as the balance of the field came into pit lane ahead of the final runs, knocking Payne out of the 10. Hill jumped from 22nd to 11th, with rookies Aaron Love, Ryan Wood and Jaxon Evans bringing up the rear.
All 24 drivers returned to the track with three minutes remaining, with Winterbottom on the bubble with a 1:11.0193s.
Waters and Mostert lit up the first sector as Randle went fastest with a 1:10.4998s, with James Courtney and then David Reynolds moving to fifth. Waters (1:10:4538s) and Mostert (1:10.4509s) both responded before Stanaway pulled out a 1:10.4448s.
Stanaway's time proved the best of all once Brown slid into the wall, with Percat and Slade also picking up significant damage in the incident. Love, meanwhile, managed to avoid Brown's car, but the stoppage ultimately caught the three Camaro drivers out. Percat will start 19th, and Slade 21st.
Anton De Pasquale, meanwhile, missed a Shootout berth for the first time this season, and will start 14th.
The Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout will commence at 12:40pm local time/1:40pm AEDT.
