Supercars News: Kostecki leads Ford 1-2-3-4 in winning Bathurst 1000 pole

Defending Bathurst 1000 champion Brodie Kostecki etched his name deeper into Australian motorsport lore on Saturday, securing a third consecutive pole position for the 2025 Repco Supercars 1000 with a blistering lap in the Boost Mobile Top 10 Shootout.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Piloting the Shell V-Power Racing Ford Mustang, Kostecki clocked 2:04.0413 – a mere 0.0113 seconds shy of the Gen3 qualifying record he set during Friday’s session (2:04.030). That mark shattered his own 2023 benchmark by 0.241 seconds, underscoring his unmatched mastery of the 6.213km “Mountain” circuit.

The 28-year-old West Australian, sharing the #38 entry with co-driver Todd Hazelwood, now joins legends Allan Moffat and Peter Brock as the only drivers to claim three straight poles for the Great Race. Last year, Kostecki and Hazelwood converted pole into victory, a feat they’ll aim to repeat in Sunday’s 161-lap endurance classic, which kicks off at 11:45am AEDT amid forecasts of intermittent rain.

“It’s a pretty incredible feeling to have this place to yourself, leaving nothing on the table,” an emotional Kostecki said post-Shootout. “That in-lap was something special – hearing all the cheers from the Ford fans over the fence. Pretty special moment, three in a row with some people I really looked up to. We’re starting from the best possible spot, so I can’t wait to share the car with Toddy tomorrow.”

Kostecki’s triumph sparked a Ford renaissance at Bathurst, with the blue oval sweeping the top four positions for the first time since 1990’s Group A era, when Sierra RS500 Cosworths ruled the roost. Alongside him on the front row will be Tickford Racing’s Cam Waters and co-driver Mark Winterbottom, who leaped from fourth on track to second with a strong effort despite cooler conditions.

Waters, seeking his third pole in the 1000km enduro, admitted the track wasn’t at its peak when he ran early in the session. “I knew where my lap was really good and where it wasn’t so good,” he said. “I was out early, and then the track wasn’t at its best – but we vaulted over four cars who went after us, so I’ll take it.”

The second row belongs to Walkinshaw Andretti United teammates Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood. Mostert, a two-time 1000 winner, rebounded from a Thursday practice crash—where he locked up into the Mountain Straight tire wall – to post the third-fastest time. Wood, in his maiden Shootout appearance, slotted in fourth, just ahead of the Chevrolets.

Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney, the Supercars championship leader chasing his 15th pole of the season, led the GM contingent in fifth aboard his Camaro, 0.176 seconds adrift. He was followed by Erebus Motorsport’s rookie Cooper Murray in sixth—piloting the car Kostecki vacated after last year’s triumph—and Tickford’s Thomas Randle in seventh.

Matt Stone Racing enjoyed a solid Shootout with Cam Hill eighth in his debut appearance, sandwiching Team 18’s Anton De Pasquale (ninth) ahead of teammate Nick Percat in 10th. De Pasquale’s entry required an overnight rebuild following a Thursday practice shunt, while Percat bids farewell to full-time Bathurst duty.

Defending Supercars champion Will Brown, Feeney’s Triple Eight teammate, endured a tough Friday to qualify 12th, highlighting Chevrolet’s relative struggles on a day dominated by Ford horsepower.

With history on his side and a sea of blue in his mirrors, Kostecki enters Sunday’s showdown as the man to beat—ready to defend his crown and chase motorsport immortality once more.

TOP TEN SHOOTOUT

2025 REPCO BATHURST 1000 STARTING GRID