Bathurst 1000: Brodie Kostecki Claims Pole Ahead Of Broc Feeney For Bathurst

Brodie Kostecki, the leader of the series, dominated the competition at Mount Panorama on Friday and did so again in the top-10 shootout on Saturday, demonstrating that he will be difficult to overtake in the championship race.

When it came time for the top-10 shootout, championship leader Brodie Kostecki blasted a blistering top-10 lap in his Erebus "rocket ship" across Mount Panorama to clinch pole position for Sunday's Bathurst 1000 race. In doing so, he took the first step toward winning Supercars' ultimate double prize.

The race car driver known as "Bush" followed up his incredible performance in qualifying on Friday by turning in a lightning-fast lap of 2:04.271 seconds to blow away his competitors in a one-lap blitz on Australia's most well-known circuit.

Even though Kostecki made a mistake at the beginning of his lap by running wide at the exit of turn one, he still managed to post a time that was 0.483 seconds faster than the Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney.

It was Kostecki's maiden pole position at Bathurst, as well as his seventh pole position for the year, as he continues to ramp up his efforts to win both the Bathurst 1000 and the championship.

Stakes winner at Sandown On Sunday, Feeney will share the first row with Kostecki, while Cam Waters of Tickford Racing in the Mustang and James Golding of PremiAir Racing will begin third and fourth, respectively.

Anton De Pasquale and defending Bathurst 1000 champion Shane van Gisbergen of Dick Johnson Racing came in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Kostecki is now 155 points ahead of Triple Eight teammate van Gisbergen in the Supercars drivers' championship.

Since he first took to the track on Thursday, the 25-year-old has been untouchable, finishing first in both practice sessions and qualifying on Friday.

Kostecki was the clear favorite to win the final race of the season, as he had already won six races this season, more than any other driver in the series.

Will Davison, a seasoned driver with Tickford Racing, took the first lap of the shootout but lost valuable seconds when he raced wide on the exit of turn one.

The next driver out, two-time Bathurst 1000 pole sitter and champion Chaz Mostert, instantly bested Davison's time with a 2:05.830 lap.

Matt Payne, a 21-year-old rookie driving for Grove Racing, was the third driver to take to the track and he quickly surpassed Mostert's time with a blistering lap of 2:05.269.

Payne's record did not last long, as van Gisbergen, a two-time Bathurst 1000 champion, clocked in at 2:04.991 to become the first driver to go under 2:05.

Bathurst winner David Reynolds came in second, completing the circuit in 2 minutes and 5.151 seconds, although he was unable to beat van Gisbergen's mark.

Then, Feeney ran a lap in 2 minutes, 4.75 seconds, beating out his more decorated teammate by a wide margin.

After Feeney, two-time Bathurst pole sitter Cam Waters crossed the finish line in 2:05.775, 0.02 seconds behind the record.

De Pasquale, the third-to-last driver, clocked in at 2:04.915 and was unable to beat Feeney's record.

James Golding of PremiAir Racing completed the third-to-last lap and moved up to third place, behind Feeney and Waters, with a time of 2 minutes, 4 seconds, and 8.1515 seconds.

Then Kostecki's final lap was under the microscope, and he didn't let everyone down by crushing his competition and sending his garage into ecstasy.

Kostecki said, "I had a bit of a crappy start to the lap, the sun got in my eyes and the turn off was a bit dirty and so I made a mistake and I had to make up for it."

I thought that silly mistake was going to cost me big time, yet the car handled well. I hurled it down the hill and hoped for the best, but I had no idea if I would make it.

Happy to having made it through the Dipper, I felt I was on a good lap heading into Conrod and didn't want to ruin it by messing up.

"I had George (Commons, the engineer) in my ear, even though he wasn't saying anything, just in the back of my mind 'Just finish it Bush.'"

"I'm really proud to be starting off in the front row tomorrow, not only because I'm very proud of this entire team, but also because I'm very proud of myself."

"There were some guys putting out some really fast laps, but I knew I had the best track advantage with the heat and the shade coming in across the top." "There were some guys putting out some really fast laps."

Still a great deal of pressure heading into the last... I have to say that I am extremely proud of the entire Coca-Cola Racing Team by Erebus since they have provided me with such an incredible rocket ship.

Since New Zealander Greg Murphy's famed 'Lap of the Gods' in 2003, Kostecki's margin of victory at Bathurst was the largest it has been since then.

Legendary inspiration behind Bathurst’s youngest challenger

Scott McLaughlin, the past winner of the Bathurst 1000, has been a huge source of motivation for Dick Johnson Racing's Kai Allen as he prepares for the biggest day of his life on Sunday.

The South Australian kid is the youngest competitor at Mount Panorama this year at the tender age of 18, a feat that would be the stuff of dreams for any motorsport racer.

Allen, a rising star who has already shown promise in Super 2 and Super 3 and won two junior national titles in karting, has been granted this opportunity.

He is racing the most recognizable Supercars team in history alongside foreign driver Simona de Silvestro in a bright yellow wildcard vehicle.

He told this masthead, "I've been dreaming of this since a young kid, so to be finally at Bathurst with such a historic team it's pretty cool to get on the grid."

To quote, "I'm pumped for tomorrow (Sunday), it's a 1000km long race and Simona and I are hoping to do our best."

McLaughlin, a former driver for DJR who won three times in Supercars and is currently a driver for Penske Motorsport in the IndyCar series, will be there to support him and cheer him on.

Allen stated that the New Zealander had already been of great assistance throughout this past weekend.

And before they go on to take on the Mountain, he is going to give the new DJR young gun one last motivational speech.

"Scott McLaughlin is definitely the person who has influenced me the most. He is such a nice person, and even being a member of the team that he used to compete for is quite cool.

"I couldn't believe it when he called me a few days ago to offer his congratulations and best wishes.

"He was really good, and he told me to 'do your thing mate, and go and have fun.'"

"I'll talk to him (again) tonight (Saturday) before the big event tomorrow," you said. "The big event is tomorrow."

He also has seven-time Bathurst 1000 champion Craig Lowndes close by, as Lowndes' wildcard team, SuperCheap Auto Racing, shares a pit boom with the DJR wildcard squad.

The teenager, who is also competing in Super 2 races, had a really hectic weekend due to the fact that he is doing double duty.

He is battling with Eggleston Motorsport in the fight for the title in the feeder category, which he is having with another contestant in the Bathurst 1000, Zak Best.

However, the pressure has not fazed the young driver, who has already proven himself to be a future sports superstar by qualifying the DJR wildcard in 25th place for the Bathurst 1000.

The squad's sights are set on a strong showing at the Bathurst 1000.

Saying, "Simona has been great, working really well together and making sure we tick every box and everything can run smoothly," he continued, "We've been able to accomplish a lot."

"It's awesome to have Simona back, and she and I just want to keep the car clean, make sure we have a good race, and make sure we don't make any dumb mistakes on our end, and make sure everything runs smoothly.

If we carry out those steps, we ought to have favorable outcomes.

On Sunday, the Great Race will get underway at 11:15 a.m.