Waters blazes to Race 1 pole, error puts Brown 11th

Tickford Racing star Cam Waters has picked up where he left off, claiming a dominant pole for Race 1 at the Thrifty Sydney 500 - Opening Round.

The Ford driver controlled both segments of Boost Mobile Qualifying to secure a 30th career pole position, and is in the box seat to win the first race of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship.

Waters will share the Race 1 front row with Triple Eight Race Engineering driver Broc Feeney, with Penrite Racing driver Matt Payne and star Dick Johnson Racing recruit Brodie Kostecki to line up third and fourth.

The session was the first qualifying held on Dunlop's new-for-2025 Soft tyre compound, but the big talking points were reigning champion Will Brown's troubled run to 11th, and a dramatic run-in between Macauley Jones and James Golding.

Golding was forced to avoid a major crash with Jones, who swerved into the path of the PremiAir Racing Chevrolet on the run to the final sequence of corners.

Jones attempted to apologise after the session, but Golding had already left to his transporter. Golding ended up 24th, one position behind Jones, who was later hit with a grid penalty.

Q1

Waters was on the pace as Q1 commenced, firing in a 1:29.3639s to lead Feeney, Ryan Wood, Chaz Mostert and Brown.

Golding, Aaron Love, Richie Stanaway and James Courtney ran off-sequence, while the likes of Thomas Randle (11th), Will Davison (14th), Payne (15th), Andre Heimgartner (17th) and David Reynolds (19th) were in danger of missing Q2.

Golding looked to set a competitive time as drivers returned to the track, only to catch Jones into the final sequence of corners. Golding baulked as Jones weaved towards him, both drivers avoiding a major incident.

In the closing stages, Bryce Fullwood jumped to third, which became eighth by the time the chequered flag flew. Waters moved further up the road with a 1:29.1242, with Wood, Mostert and Payne forming an all-Ford top four. Brown wasn't so lucky, locking up into Turn 8 and missing a Q2 berth by just 0.003s.

It was a tougher story for Team 18, with Anton De Pasquale and Reynolds 15th and 17th, just hours after sealing a one-two in practice.

Q2

Waters picked up where he left off, throwing down a 1:28.6908s to put 0.25s on Feeney. Only Waters and Feeney managed to set a 1:28s lap on their first runs, with Payne (1:29.1467s), Kostecki (1:29.1851s) and Randle (1:29.2269s).

Mostert, meanwhile, could only record a 1:29.4396s to slot into eighth, ahead of Fullwood and Allen.

With 90 seconds remaining, drivers began to leave their cars, confirming Waters as 2025's first pole-sitter. Feeney, Payne, Kostecki, Randle, Heimgartner, Wood, Mostert, Fullwood and Penrite Racing rookie Kai Allen rounded out the top 10.

"I guess every time you get a new set of tyres you find more lap time don't you? That car was so hooked up then, and it's a massive credit to the boys and girls at Tickford, really cool rocket," said Waters, who moved to equal ninth all-time on the pole winners list with Garth Tander.

"Yeah I'm pumped, I just can't wait to get this year started really. It's great to get the pole, but it'll be an interesting race, obviously a bit shorter of a sprint race, we'll throw some tyres on it at some point.

"Hopefully I can get a good start and drive away without too much pressure."

Race 1 of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship will commence at 7:50pm AEDT.