Kostecki breaks qualifying record in pulsating Bathurst qualifying

Brodie Kostecki has claimed provisional pole for the Repco Bathurst 1000 at the end of a thrilling Friday Boost Mobile Qualifying session at the Repco Bathurst 1000.

The reigning Bathurst champion broke his own Gen3 qualifying lap record from two years ago, setting a 2:04.0307 on his final lap to ensure he will be the last one out in tomorrow afternoon's Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout.

Kostecki pipped current Repco Supercars Championship leader Broc Feeney just 0.0064s, with the top six cars all within a tenth of a second of the provisional pole time.

With the top 10 cars covered by just three tenths of a second in the final practice session before qualifying, the 40 minute hit-out promised to be an epic session, and it duly delivered.

Kostecki came straight out of the gates all guns blazing, and fired in a 2:04.7793 on his opening lap, having used a green tyre straight away.

Broc Feeney went to second with his second lap on a 2:05.0817, whilst Cooper Murray got off to an impressive start to the session with a 2:05.0936.

The limits were being pushed early, with Will Davison clouting the wall at the grate, Rylan Gray nearly spearing into the tyre wall at Griffins Bend, and James Courtney rubbing the wall at the exit of Forrest's Elbow.

Practice 4 pacesetter Chaz Mostert started to show his best on the second run, dancing across the top of the Mountain on the way to a 2:04.9183.

A flurry of times came in, and it was Cooper Murray in the Erebus Camaro that ended the second run on top of the timesheets on a 2:04.3624, with Broc Feeney second on a 2:04.5730, and Kostecki improving to a 2:04.5897.

Cam Waters ran down the Murray's Corner escape road on a personal best lap, ruining his second run, leaving him way down in 25th and with plenty of work to do.

Anton De Pasquale also continued his speedy weekend on a 2:04.6772, whilst James Golding carried his positive momentum from Practice 4, and found himself in sixth behind Will Brown.

Murray went even quicker again, and broke the Gen3 qualifying lap record with a 2:04.0936, but was then pipped by Feeney on a 2:04.0371, the margin just 0.056s.

Waters pieced together a lap on his third run, and rose comfortably into the top 10 in fifth, whilst Kostecki improved further to a 2:04.2722 to jump back up into the top three.

Entering the final 10 minutes, Golding found himself just outside the Shootout bubble in 11th, with De Pasquale 12th, David Reynolds 16th, and Nick Percat way down in 25th having finished second in Practice 4.

Wood jumped back up into third on a 2:04.2078, under Kostecki's former Gen3 record, whilst Thomas Randle bumped his way into the provisional Shootout in seventh.

De Pasquale then moved back into the top three, setting a 2:04.1966, with rookie Zach Bates tumbling out as a result.

The majority of the field rolled back out of the lane with six minutes remaining, with the field split into effectively two large groups.

Feeney immediately set the fastest middle sector of the session, however Murray continued his incredible rate of improvement, but blew his lap exiting Murray's Corner, whilst Waters jumped to third, and Randle sixth.

Jones, Mostert, and Wood all improved on their final times, with Wood finishing the session in third, and Mostert sixth, however Jones would miss out by just 0.0556s, with Matt Stone Racing duo Cameron Hill and Nick Percat, as well as Randle bumping him out.

Matt Payne and Will Brown, second and third in the championship, were both high-profile omissions from the Shootout, with Payne struggling to 18th, and Brown just 0.07s outside the Shootout in 12th.

The order for tomorrow's Shootout will be Randle, Percat, Hill, Waters, Mostert, Murray, De Pasquale, Wood, Feeney, and Kostecki.

On-track action tomorrow begins with the co-driver exclusive Practice 5 at 10:05am local time, followed by Practice 6 at 1:10pm, and then the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout at 5:05pm.