Anton De Pasquale qualified 21st for Sunday’s race at the Gold Coast 500 while points leader Matt Payne missed the Top 10 Shootout entirely.
Qualifying Upsets Disrupt Gold Coast 500 Grid
Anton De Pasquale arrived on the streets of Surfers Paradise sitting sixth in the standings for the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, yet he landed 21st on the grid after failing to escape the first phase of qualifying.
It felt really good,
De Pasquale said of his early pace, pointing to a sudden change in track conditions. We were one of the fastest cars for the first two laps and then the track gets faster and we got slower. Obviously just missed the window with pressures. That’s how it goes.
Grove Racing driver Matt Payne arrived at the Surfers Paradise weekend leading the championship, but he missed the Top 10 Shootout after finishing 12th in the session.
Crashes Stop Sunday Morning Sessions
Jackson Walls spun his Ford Mustang at the Beach Chicane and backed into the tyre bundle, bringing out a red flag less than two minutes into Q1.
Zach Bates spun off the Turn 3 kerb in his Chevrolet Camaro before pointing his machine back in the right direction, while David Reynolds heavily damaged the nose of his Team 18 Camaro against the Turn 3 tyre bundle. Cameron Hill grazed the same barrier at the Beach Chicane in his Toyota Supra, though he managed to improve his time and fight his way into the shootout.
Feeney Takes Provisional Pole as Penalties Apply
Broc Feeney put Triple Eight Race Engineering on provisional pole with a lap of 1:15.7818 in his Ford Mustang, and teammate Will Brown secured a front-row lockout by going second fastest.
Officials handed the 2024 champion a two-place grid penalty for the opening race after finding that his car had impeded Jack Le Brocq during qualifying.
The Stewards summoned and heard from the Drivers of Cars 888 and 4 and their Authorised Representatives. The Stewards also heard from the DSA. The Stewards reviewed the available broadcast vision and showed the vision to the parties.
The Stewards, via V8 Sleuth
Jack Le Brocq told officials he was forced to move offline during a push lap at Turn 14 to avoid a collision with Will Brown, who was traveling slowly on the racing line. Will Brown acknowledged he was on a preparation lap among other traffic and that his team had not warned him of the approaching car.
The Stewards acknowledge that while unintentional, Car 888 did impede Car 4 and further find this driving conduct amounts to careless driving and a breach of the Rules and impose a 2 Grid Spot penalty on Car 888, which is consistent with previous breaches of a similar nature.
The Stewards, via V8 Sleuth
Top Contenders Prepare for Afternoon Racing
The qualifying session reshuffled the pit lane order as teams prepared for the afternoon races.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broc Feeney | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Ford Mustang | 1:15.7818 |
| 2 | Will Brown | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Ford Mustang | 1:15.8294 |
| 3 | Brodie Kostecki | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Mustang | 1:15.8660 |
| 4 | Chaz Mostert | Walkinshaw TWG Racing | Toyota Supra | 1:15.9232 |
| 5 | Cameron Hill | Brad Jones Racing | Toyota Supra | 1:16.0728 |
These five drivers will lead the field into the opening lap, fighting for victory on the Surfers Paradise street circuit where Broc Feeney posted his 1:15.7818 benchmark.