Rylan Gray claims second pole of 2025 in Adelaide
Tickford teenager claimed top honours by 0.105s
Gray's nearest title rival Lochie Dalton to start seventh tomorrow
Rylan Gray has taken a huge step towards claiming the 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series, claiming his second pole of the season at the bp Adelaide Grand Final.
The teenager set a 1:19.8109 to best Brad Jones Racing's Brad Vaughan by just over a tenth of a second in the opening Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout of the day.
Gray's performance could prove to be a decisive moment in the championship battle, with nearest rival Lochie Dalton back in seventh, Nash Morris in eighth, and Reuben Goodall in third.
If Gray can finish ahead of his three teammates in tomorrow's opening race of the weekend, he will clinch the title with a race in hand.
Cloud cover began to form over the Adelaide Parklands Circuit as the session began, with conditions getting considerably darker as the session progressed.
Right from the off there were varying run plans, with the likes of Zach Bates, Cody Burcher, and Ben Gomersall all setting times much earlier than the likes of the Tickford quartet.
Lochie Dalton made a mistake on his first flying run, locking up and running wide at Turn 9, before then coming under fire from teammate Rylan Gray, who vocalised his frustration after feeling he was impeded by the #6 Mustang.
Several were pushing the limits, with Campbell Logan having an almighty lock up at Turn 4 and running down the escape road, with Cameron McLeod also doing the same.
Jobe Stewart would become a victim of the notorious Turn 8 sweeper when he clobbered the wall. Though he was able to make it back to the pit lane, Stewart was done for the session.
Both Gray and Goodall didn't set their banker laps until halfway through the session, taking several laps tio get their first set of tyres up to pressure and temperature.
Outgoing champion Bates went early for his final run, and encountered traffic as he went on his first lap, almost colliding with Cody Gillis on the run to Turn 8.
Bates would qualify fourth ahead of McLeod, whose final run was ruined by a suspected shock absorber failure through the Senna Chicane, with the Queenslander lucky to keep the #92 Mustang of the wall at Turn 3.
Despite all that was happening, Gray carried on to claim his first Boost Mobile Pole Award since Race 1 of Round 2 in Tasmania.
NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Jesse Love impressed in his first Super2 qualifying session, and will line up in 19th on the grid tomorrow, ahead of Bradi Owen, Ayrton Hodson, and Ryan Tomsett.
The 22-car field returns to the track later this afternoon for Boost Mobile Qualifying for Race 2, which is scheduled to begin at 2:50pm local time/3:20pm AEDT.
Race 1 of the final round of the 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series is scheduled to be held tomorrow at 1:55pm local/2:25pm AEDT.