Randle leads Tickford front row lockout, Mostert 11th

Thomas Randle has claimed his first Boost Mobile Pole Award of 2024 after another rollercoaster Boost Mobile Qualifying at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint.

Randle pipped Tickford teammate Cam Waters by just four hundredths of a second, returning the favour after Waters pipped Randle in Saturday qualifying at Sydney.

The pole was made all the more sweeter for the Castrol Mustang driver after making a crucial mistake yesterday that saw him spin into the gravel and miss the top 10.

“It's such an awesome reward and I feel like it's a bit of redemption after yesterday’s off,” the 2020 Super2 champion said.

“Every part there, we were pretty strong and just managed to nail the lap. There was a lot of sheep stations out there, everyone trying to get a tow and all that sort of stuff.

"The car was a jet, it's just so cool to get another Tickford front row lockout.”

The slipstream played a crucial role in deciding who topped Boost Mobile Qualifying, with some drivers calling out the games being played on out-laps.

Chaz Mostert was only 11th, putting championship pressure back on the Ford star.

“No one wanted to lead, kind of like Monza. And there's not as much of a tailwind or a headwind, it's sort of one way or the other, so I think the tow is potentially more important," Randle added.

"But still, if you've got the tow, you've got to know that you can't bomb it in too deep because you might be carrying a couple extra ks."

Q1

The pace in the first segment was immediately an improvement from Broc Feeney’s Saturday pole time of a 50.9884s in much improved conditions.

Brodie Kostecki set what was at the time the fastest lap of the weekend in the first segment on 55.8885s, but Waters went quicker still on a 50.8247s to top the timesheets in Q1.

The big story from the first segment of qualifying was the shock elimination of yesterday’s race winner Nick Percat, who took a gamble on using a used tyre to set his lap.

The gamble backfired spectacularly as Percat brought up the rear of the field, and was audibly frustrated over team radio as he came back into the lane.

Joining Percat on the sidelines after Q1 were James Courtney, Macaulay Jones, and Mark Winterbottom, who is set to start his 600th consecutive Supercars race from 23rd.

Q2

Q2 got off to a somewhat controversial start when championship leader Will Brown crawled around on his out lap, with the other 19 cars all tailing behind not wanting to lose the slipstream.

This impacted the tyre warm-up procedures of several drivers further back, and the process would be repeated as the final runs commenced in the dying minutes of Q2.

The highest profile victim of Q2 was Mostert, who missed out on transferring into Q3 by just three hundredths of a second, and will start from 11th.

Mostert was especially critical of the games being played by the Triple Eight Camaros at the head of the train, branding the tactics of his championship rivals as "dangerous."

Q3

In Q3, Tickford utilised the slipstream to perfection to sweep to a front row lockout, with Randle tucked in behind teammate Waters, who was tucked in behind Feeney.

David Reynolds claimed a season best third on the grid in a great showing for Team 18, but was felt he had a car capable of claiming pole position.

Brown will line up fourth as he attempts to halt the championship momentum Mostert has gathered since Townsville, with Feeney to line up seventh.

Race 18 of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, the final sprint race of the season, begins at 3:05pm AEST at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint.