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Payne tops qualifying after Hill crash; van Gisbergen 15th

Supercars
26 Nov 2023
Matt Payne has dominated ARMOR ALL Qualifying, with Shane van Gisbergen to start last Supercar race from 15th
3 mins by James Pavey
  • Matt Payne gaps the field in final qualifying session of 2023

  • Payne puts nearly 0.3s on Cam Waters, with David Reynolds third

  • Cameron Hill crashes; Brodie Kostecki seventh, Shane van Gisbergen 15th

Penrite Racing rookie Matt Payne has gapped the field in ARMOR ALL Qualifying at the VAILO Adelaide 500, with Cameron Hill crashing and Shane van Gisbergen missing a Shootout berth.

Payne, 21, put 0.2999s on his closest rival to secure provisional pole position for Race 28, the final race of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship.

The Kiwi beat Saturday winner Cam Waters (#43 Monster Energy Mustang) and teammate David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang), with Broc Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) sneaking into the Shootout.

Feeney managed to move from 12th to fourth at the death, but it was a different story for van Gisbergen, whose final full-time Supercars start will come from grid slot 15.

Champion-elect Brodie Kostecki qualified seventh in his #99 Coca-Cola Camaro, having clinched the 2023 crown in Saturday's race.

Thomas Randle, who finished third in Saturday's race, qualifed his #55 Castrol Mustang in fifth ahead of Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) and Kostecki.

Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro), Todd Hazelwood (#3 REDARC Mustang) and James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) rounded out the top 10, with Will Brown (#9 Coca-Cola Camaro) bumped to 11th in his repaired Erebus Chevrolet.

Anton De Pasquale, who eventually qualified 14th in his #11 Shell V-Power Mustang, set the early running with a 1:22.6545s. Hill's teammate Jack Le Brocq (#34 Truck Assist Camaro) clocked the first 1:19s lap of the morning, a 1:19.7716s, before the #35 Camaro clouted the wall.

After a short stoppage, Reynolds jumped to the top with a 1:19.6998s, and improved his own benchmark to a 1:19.4073s. Waters first clocked a 1:19.5030s, before moving his own best to a 1:19.3983s.

Payne, however, was the one to catch. The Kiwi turned heads with a 1:19.0984s, which held firm as the clock counted down to zero.

Several big names were under pressure, with Brown on the bubble as both Triple Eight drivers set off after a Shootout berth. Feeney vaulted from 12th to fourth, but van Gisbergen was unable to secure passage to one last one-lap dash.

Mostert, meanwhile, was as low as 25th and last before he jumped into the top five. Mostert, who finished fourth on Saturday, is just 25 points behind Brown for fourth in the championship.

The overall result has shaken up the teams' championship fight with Brown and van Gisbergen missing out. Erebus Motorsport leads Triple Eight by 161 points with 288 available in Sunday afternoon's race, which will commence at 2:45pm local time/3:15pm AEDT.

The Race 28 grid will be finalised by the ARMOR ALL Top Ten Shootout, at 12:05pm local time/12:35pm AEDT.

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