Feeney pips Mostert to provisional pole, Love crashes

Broc Feeney has edged Chaz Mostert to provisional pole at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500, with Boost Mobile Qualifying interrupted by a crash for Aaron Love.

Feeney, who arrived at Sandown 198 points behind teammate Will Brown, did his chances of clawing his way back into contention no harm with the fastest time in thrilling Boost Mobile Qualifying.

The Triple Eight driver, last year's Sandown 500 winner, was just 0.0404s quicker than Mostert, with Matt Payne 0.0879s down in third.

Rookie Ryan Wood was an impressive fourth ahead of Cam Waters and Brown, with Brodie Kostecki, Richie Stanaway, Andre Heimgartner and Anton De Pasquale all sealing passage into the Top Ten Shootout.

"It was pretty hard work to be honest, and with the red flag you're sort of questioning what you're going to do," said Feeney, who has four poles already to his name this season.

"I'm pumped, I think we've been pretty quick in the wet this weekend. To be on provisional pole, to me it's just in the Shootout, certainly nothing is locked in yet, but a top 10 start for tomorrow is good."

On pressure of putting a wet lap together, he added: "It's just so hard, far out I've been running off that much today I'm surprised I didn't get a black flag or something like that, and I nearly got stuck at the start.

"It's super hard out there, I just prayed that I'd get through turn one and then after that I knew we were as quick as anyone else."

Remarkably, the heavens opened seven minutes before the session began, with hail also falling over the south-eastern Melbourne circuit.

However, the sun broke through as drivers rolled out, with Brown first across the line with a 1:18.2275s, before Wood moved the number to a 1:17.1289s.

Brown kicked off the second laps with a 1:15.9852s, which was quickly left for dead by 14 drivers. Feeney, who clocked a 1:15.3192s to go second, then went off at Turn 1, as he did twice in Practice 5.

Stanaway soared to the top with his third lap with a 1:14.2800s, before drivers immediately improved into the 1:13s, led by David Reynolds (1:13.5800s), Heimgartner (1:13.7902s) and Mostert (1:13.8358s) once Love spun off at the esses and crashed into the wall.

At the time of the stoppage, the top 10 was Reynolds, Heimgartner, Mostert, Nick Percat, Payne, James Golding, Brown, Feeney, Waters and Cameron Hill, who was on the bubble ahead of James Courtney.

De Pasquale hit the front after the session resumed with a 1:13.5246s, before Payne (1:13.4374s) and Mostert (1:13.4064s) took over. Stanaway loomed to go faster but bowled a wide at Turn 9, before powering back into the 10 with a 1:13.2362s.

Mostert consolidated top spot with a 1:12.9384s, the first 1:12s lap of the session, and followed it up with a 1:13.0658s — a number that would’ve been good enough for third.

Feeney clocked a 1:12.8980s to go first, with Mostert, Wood, Waters, Brown, Kostecki, Heimgartner, Stanaway, Payne and Percat the 10 with two minutes remaining.

Payne jumped from ninth to third with a 1:12.9859s, with Kiwi countryman Heimgartner threatening to go to the top before losing time in the final sector, remaining eighth.

With one minute to go, Percat was on the bubble in 10th, just 0.0136s ahead of Courtney. De Pasquale jumped to 10th as the chequered flag flew, dumping Percat out to the tune of just 0.0338s.

The Top Ten Shootout, at 5:25pm, will set the grid for Sunday's 500km race.