Waters powers to first pole of 2023

Cam Waters has motored to his first ARMOR ALL Pole Position of 2023 after a stunning performance at the betr Darwin Triple Crown.

Waters was the benchmark in knockout qualifying, setting 1:05s laps in Q2 and Q3 to claim early honours at Hidden Valley Raceway.

It was Waters’ first pole since Adelaide 2022, second in Darwin, and the 20th of his career. He is also the seventh driver to claim a pole this season in 13 attempts.

The Mildura-born driver’s run to pole came after he avoided a shock Q1 knockout by 0.0106s.

Waters will share the Race 13 front row with Broc Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro), with Mark Winterbottom (#18 DEWALT Camaro) impressing to third.

Shane van Gisbergen, who was only 17th and 25th in Friday’s two practice session after car gremlins, recovered to fourth.

Darwin-born Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Electrical Camaro) will start sixth alongside Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang).

"She's been hooked up over one lap this weekend," Waters said.

"We've got a nice little window we're working in; Q1 I was bit a nervous finishing 20th trying to save a set [of tyres], but it paid off for us.

"We've got to convert it to a win."

Race 13 marks a golden opportunity for both Triple Eight drivers to make ground in the championship, with both Erebus drivers and Chaz Mostert down the order.

Coca-Cola Camaro duo Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown will start 11th and 19th, with Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) to start 17th.

“It’s been our roughest qualifying of the year,” Kostecki said during qualifying.

"We’ll try have a clean one and see where we end up... Turn 1 has been really chaotic at the start in the past. I’ll see if I can make it through Turn 1, and go from there."

Both Walkinshaw Andretti United Fords, Nulon Racing Camaro, Declan Fraser (#56 TRADIE Mustang) and Jack Smith (#4 SCT Logisitics Camaro) all rolled out as Q1 went green.

James Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) led teammate Tim Slade (#23 Nulon Camaro) as the rest of the field rolled out with nine minutes to go.

Feeney vaulted to the top with a 1:06.1927s, before Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro) and Jack Le Brocq (#34 Truck Assist Camaro) moved ahead.

Several front-runners were on the cusp ahead of the final runs; notably, Brown was as low as 20th, Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) 24th, and Mostert 26th.

The track improved, as did the times — De Pasquale jumped to the top, teammate Davison jumped to fifth, and Brown and Mostert also safely through.

Fraser, Todd Hazelwood (#3 CoolDrive Mustang), David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang), Smith, Macauley Jones (#96 Pizza Hut Camaro) and Nick Percat (#2 Mobil 1 NTI Mustang) filled positions 21 through 26, and failed to secure a Q2 berth.

Van Gisbergen set the early running in Q2 with a 1:06.5400s, before Winterbottom, Davison, Kostecki, Le Brocq and Cameron Hill (#35 Truck Assist Camaro) all went quicker. At the time, the top four were covered by 0.04s.

De Pasquale, Heimgartner, Fullwood, and Brown hadn’t fired a shot with four minutes remaining. Heimgartner jumped from 18th to seventh as the rest of the field rolled out with three minutes left.

However, the times again dropped rapidly, and Waters was first into the 1:05s with a 1:05.9986s ahead of Slade, Feeney, Golding, Winterbottom, Fullwood and Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang).

Van Gisbergen and Davison snuck into the final segment in eighth and ninth, with Scott Pye (#20 Hino Camaro) denying Kostecki a Q3 berth on 0.0168s.

De Pasquale, meanwhile, was 0.0298s away from Q3 in 12th.

Wildcard Zane Goddard (#888 Supercheap Auto Camaro), who was 15th in Q1, ended up 18th in Q2, one position behind Mostert, and one position ahead of Brown.

Feeney set an early Q3 benchmark with a 1:06.0085s, with Winterbottom and van Gisbergen within 0.2s of the #88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro.

Behind them, the #6 Monster Energy Mustang was flying, and Waters slammed in another 1:05s — a 1:05.9027s — to put 0.1s on Feeney.

It proved untouchable, Waters — who last won in Darwin 12 months ago — starting in the best position for Race 13, which will commence at 3:25pm local time/3:55pm AEST.

Golding was seventh, but was placed under investigation for impeding. Slade, Pye and Randle rounded out the top 10.