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Defending Bathurst 1000 champion Brodie Kostecki has overcome concerns about his car’s ability to match the muscle of the Camaros by clinching his third consecutive pole position for the great race at Mt Panorama on Sunday.
Kostecki posted a sizzling time of 2:04:041 to win Saturday’s top-10 shootout and emulate legends Peter Brock and Allan Moffat, who also started from the front of the Bathurst grid three years in a row.
“Pretty special moment, three in a row, to be tied with people I really look up to,” Kostecki told Fox Sports after his spectacular lap.
After claiming provisional pole position on Thursday, Kostecki voiced his frustration about the unresolved issue of engine “parity”.
The 28-year-old former series champion believes that Ford, which has not won in Bathurst since 2019, has a disadvantage in terms of straight-line speed and is disappointed that no countermeasures have been implemented after recent testing of the barometric pressure on the different engines.
It didn’t appear to hinder his speed on Saturday.
Brodie Kostecki (right) with co-driver Todd Hazelwood after taking poll position at the Bathurst 1000 on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
He pipped Cam Waters (2:04:217) for pole, with Chaz Mostert (2:04:358) third, Ryan Wood (2:04:442) fourth and series leader Broc Feeney (2:04:594) a slightly disappointing fifth.
Feeney slid on the first corner and lost some control across the top of the mountain and admitted he wasn’t happy with his lap.
“I’m pretty disappointed with that … anyway, we’re in the mix,” Feeney told Fox Sports.
Earlier, there was drama during the sixth practice session when reigning series champion Will Brown’s Camaro was shunted and spun off the track after an incident that prompted Mostert to remonstrate with Thomas Randle in pit lane.
Brodie Kostecki puts his foot down at Bathurst on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
Brown was overheard saying on Triple Eight team radio: “I just pooped in my pants.”
Mostert, who was left with a broken leg, wrist and knee injury after a 2015 crash on Mt Panorama, apologised to Brown for the bingle, and fronted Randle after the lap to complain.
“I think I got Randle’d there at the start of my lap, so I don’t know,” Mostert told Fox Sports.
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“Randle’s doing his own thing, and he’s not thinking about everyone else out there, and unfortunately it put Will Brown in a big shunt.
“Definitely don’t want to do that at this stage of the weekend, so a bit of a shame, but anyway.
“I don’t know what information is being fed to him, but you should be conscious of other people out there.”
There were some more serious crashes in the lead-up races. Super Utes driver Dave Casey escaped serious injury after flipping his vehicle and rolling several times.
There was also a multi-car pile-up in the race two of the Dunlop Series, prompting a restart.
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