Brodie Kostecki claims pole for AirTouch 500 at The Bend
Kostecki pipped Matt Payne by just 0.0736s
500km enduro begins at 1:45pm local time/2:15pm AEST Sunday
Brodie Kostecki has claimed his seventh pole position of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship, proving to be in a class of his own in the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout for the AirTouch 500 at The Bend.
Kostecki was the only driver to improve upon their qualifying time in the one lap run-off, leaving the 2024 Bathurst winner and co-driver Todd Hazelwood in the best position to defend their 2025 AirTouch 500 win.
The fifth car out in the Shootout, Kostecki's marker fended off a late charge from penultimate runner Matt Payne, who was left to rue a mistake at the second-to-last corner.
The start of the Shootout was a special moment for Erebus Motorsport rookie Jobe Stewart, the Mount Gambier product contesting his first career Shootout on home soil in South Australia.
The #9 Erebus Camaro flared into a lurid slide through Turn 2, but it was an otherwise clean lap from the 22-year-old, who set a 1:17.0517s to chase.
Cam Waters was typically committed on his run, and kicked up plenty of dust on the inside of Turn 5 as he was caught out by the amount of front grip he had after his tyre preparation.
Waters' substantially moved the marker to a 1:16.6509s, which Jayden Ojeda was first tasked with trying to beat, though he would struggle with a lack of front grip, slotting in behind Stewart on a 1:17.0733s.
Thomas Randle continued his affinity with The Bend by making another Shootout appearance, and he barely missed edging ahead of his Tickford teammate, falling just 0.0132s behind and into second.
Defending AirTouch 500 winner Brodie Kostecki posed a formidable threat, and used up every little bit of exit kerb at Turn 5, and went even better in the final sector to move the marker to a 1:16.3756s, improving on his provisional qualifying time.
Zach Bates went to the top of the Chevrolet pile with his lap, going fourth on a 1:16.9905s, and championship leader Broc Feeney also couldn't match Kostecki, and could only bump the Canberran out of fourth on a 1:16.7929s.
That left just three drivers remaining, with Kai Allen all but equal to Kostecki's marker to the end of the first sector, though a scrappy final sector saw the #26 Penrite Ford drop from a potential front row start to fourth.
Teammate Matt Payne was the penultimate runner, and was 0.05s up through the first two sectors, however the rear of the #19 Mustang escaped the Kiwi at the penultimate corner, and saw him fall just short by 0.0736s.
Provisional pole sitter Anton De Pasquale was the last man out on The Bend, and was looking to spoil what was an all-Ford top six. Though he did do that, it was only to slot into fifth on a 1:16.7623s, leaving Kostecki to claim pole.
Kostecki/Hazelwood will be joined on the front row by Payne/Will Davison, with Tickford duo Waters/Mark Winterbottom and Randle/Reuben Goodall to share the second row of the grid.
The top 10 on the grid will be rounded out by De Pasquale/Lee Holdsworth, Allen/Tim Slade, Feeney/Nick Percat, Bates/Aaron Seton, Stewart/Jarrod Hughes, and Ojeda/David Russell.
Sunday action at The Bend commences with the Warm Up at 10:15am local time/10:45am AEST, before the 500km Ryco Enduro Cup opener begins at 1:45pm local/2:15pm AEST.
