Kostecki Repeats Bathurst Pole Feat in Stunning Top Ten Shootout
Brodie Kostecki has put on a masterclass at Mount Panorama, clinching the pole position for the third year in a row in a dramatic Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout at the Repco Bathurst 1000. Clocking a 2:04.0413s, Kostecki narrowly missed his Friday Gen3 lap record of 2:04.0307s, reinforcing his status as the class of the field as the famous mountain delivered a sunlit afternoon for the decisive moment.
The top four in the shootout were an all-Ford affair for the second year running, with Cam Waters, Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood joining Kostecki on the provisional front row. It marked the first all-Ford top four since 1990, a historic line-up that set the tone for the Bathurst weekend ahead.
Surrounded by cheering fans along the pit wall and the stands, Kostecki spoke about the atmosphere after his lap, saying, “It’s just amazing honestly, that in lap was something special seeing all the fans, and getting all the cheers over the fence.” He added that the scene was a cue to the support for Ford and its partners, and he hinted at what the co-driver Tod Hazlewood and the team might achieve on race day: “I could definitely see a lot of DJR fans and Shell V-Power fans, and a lot of Ford fans out there, so I hope you cheer us on tomorrow.”
The afternoon sunshine illuminated a competitive battle across the Mountain. Earlier, Thomas Randle set a strong opening time of 2:04.7354s, and Nick Percat briefly topped the board before a moment at Murray’s Corner kept him behind the eventual front-runners. Cameron Hill and then Waters pushed the envelope, with Waters posting 2:04.2173s to set a tough target for the rest of the field.
Chaz Mostert, a two-time pole winner here, looked on track to threaten but finished at 2:04.3582s, about 0.14s behind Waters. Cooper Murray carried Erebus Motorsport’s hopes and looked capable early on, yet ultimately could only claim provisional third before the final sequence of laps.
Anton De Pasquale’s redemption mission after the recent incidents at Bathurst saw him drop into provisional sixth with a 2:04.9111s, while Ryan Wood’s charge was briefly promising before a slip on the grass at the top of the hill changed the trajectory of his session—he ended with 2:04.4426s, slotting behind Kostecki and Waters as the session wound down.
For Feeney, the hunt for a 15th pole of the year intensified, but a late oversteer moment at Hell Corner and a bold approach through The Esses yielded a 2:04.5940s, keeping him in provisional fourth and in the mix for the greatest race on the mountain.
With drivers threading the needle through Hell Corner into the tight sections of The Esses, Kostecki maintained composure and avoided the kind of late mistakes that can derail a pole lap. The result is a clean sweep for the young Queenslander, who adds yet another pole to his 2025 campaign and sets up what many hope will be another memorable Bathurst 1000 battle tomorrow.
As the field shifts from qualifying to racing, the conversation will be dominated by the David-versus-Goliath matchup—Kostecki versus The Mountain. The track’s sun-kissed surface, the roar of the fans and the relentless pursuit of speed promise a dramatic race with Kostecki likely to be a focal point in the pursuit of pole-to-win glory.
Looming Bathurst 1000: What to expect on Race Day
With pole position secured, Kostecki and co-driver Tod Hazlewood will look to convert this advantage into a race victory. Strategy, pit efficiency, and tire choice will play pivotal roles on the long Mount Panorama circuit, where even tenths of a second can separate the podium from a challenging day. The Ford factory squads will carry optimism as they aim to translate the pole into a race win, continuing a controversial but celebrated era of Ford V8 dominance at the Great Race.
Fans will be hoping for another chapter in a Bathurst tradition—the pole-sitter with the pace to convert it into glory under the Mount Panorama sun. If Kostecki’s record-equalling performance is any indicator, tomorrow’s race could deliver another memorable Bathurst 1000 chapter.
