Reynolds defies illness with stunning Townsville pole

David Reynolds has defied illness and the odds to take a shock maiden pole position for Team 18 at the NTI Townsville 500.

Battling a severe bout of the flu, Reynolds entered the weekend a lowly 19th in the championship, and without a podium since the 2023 Adelaide 500.

However, Reynolds pieced together a brilliant lap in the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout to score his first pole since Newcastle 2023, and the 17th of his career.

Freshly 40, Reynolds also became the ninth different driver in 2025 to claim a pole. Only the 2016 (11 different drivers), 2023 and 2024 (both 10) seasons have had more different pole winners, with 13 different qualifying sessions remaining this season.

Reynolds will share the front row for Saturday's race with provisional pole sitter and former teammate Matt Payne, with championship leader Broc Feeney and Jack Le Brocq just behind.

"I made my day a lot easier. I'm actually not too well, I've got the man flu, this flu would kill a normal man I think, so luckily I'm strong," the 2017 Bathurst winner said.

"Thanks so much to my team, they did an awesome job overnight, my car wasn't the best yesterday and they really tuned it up.

"Can't wait for the race, just want to thank everyone at Team 18 and TRADIE Energy Racing, they've been so supportive of me.

"It's been such an average start to the year, so I'm happy to get this for them."

Will Davison set a 1:13.4836s for his rivals to chase, and teammate Brodie Kostecki immediately went 0.36s quicker with a 1:13.1195s. Feeney then responded with a 1:12.9488s, putting 0.17s on Friday's winner.

Le Brocq, last year's Sunday pole winner, ran line astern with Feeney through the first two sectors, but missed out by just 0.052s. Le Brocq's rookie teammate Cooper Murray went next, and after going quicker through Sector 1, grabbed too much kerb, locked up into Turn 11 and ended up fourth.

On used tyres, Bryce Fullwood dropped to the back of the order, leaving Reynolds, James Courtney, Will Brown and Payne standing in Feeney's way.

Reynolds, battling illness, reset the benchmark in all three sectors, and duly vaulted to the top with a 1:12.8352s. In response, Courtney lost nearly two tenths in Sector 1 alone, dropped another tenth, and ended up fourth behind Feeney and Le Brocq.

Brown was just 0.007s down at the first sector, but lost a swag of time in Sector 2. The reigning champion closed out a 1:13.2018s to sit seventh, which despite being a mile better than Friday's 20th, was below expectations.

Chasing Reynolds' 1:12.8352s, Payne was just down on the first sector, and fell to be 0.25s down after the second sector, and although he clawed back ground in Sector 3, he fell short by just 0.1059s.

The 200km Race 21 will commence at 3:00pm AEST.