Matt Payne is on provisional pole for the final Sydney 500 race as Chaz Mostert hit another speed bump in his Supercars title defence.
Mostert is dead last in the series standings on Sunday after being disqualified from the second sprint at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Race stewards found tyre sensors weren’t fitted to Mostert’s Toyota Supra, though Walkinshaw TWG Racing argued all four wheels were never below the minimum tyre pressure rule.
It is another frustrating setback for Mostert, who had finished 11th after qualifying 22nd on Saturday night.
Sitting 24th in the series, his weekend in Sydney won’t get any easier after qualifying 16th for the final 200km sprint.
Grove Racing star Payne will be the last driver to have a solo attempt in Sunday’s top-10 shootout after clocking a lap time of one minute 1:29.674 seconds.
Saturday’s race-winner and championship leader Anton De Pasquale was second-fastest in the Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro, ahead of second-year driver Aaron Cameron.
Cameron’s Blanchard Racing Team teammate Golding was fourth, while Payne’s partner Kai Allen qualified sixth.
Broc Feeney, who claimed the season-opening race, knocked out Dick Johnson Racing rival Brodie Kostecki on his final lap to claim 10th.
Mostert’s teammate Ryan Wood had a chance to pip Feeney in the dying seconds of the 30-minute session, but couldn’t pull off an upset and qualified 18th.
While Thomas Randle made the shootout in fifth, his Tickford teammate Cam Waters – who pulled off a clean sweep of last year’s Sydney 500 – will start in 20th after struggling with tyre grip on the track.
Both Matt Stone Racing drivers made the shootout, with rookie Zach Bates leading veteran Jack Le Brocq in eighth and ninth respectively.
RACE THREE QUALIFYING RESULTS:
1. Matt Payne (Grove Racing)
2. Anton De Pasquale (Team 18)
3. Aaron Cameron (Blanchard Racing Team)
4. James Golding (BRT)
5. Thomas Randle (Tickford Racing)
6. Kai Allen (Grove)
7. Will Brown (Triple Eight Race Engineering)
8. Zach Bates (Matt Stone Racing)
9. Jack Le Brocq (MSR)
10. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight)
