Primed and ready

Less than one second separated the top six teams at the end of a frantic day at Mount Panorama,  with two Audis lining up in the top 10. Chaz Mostert was a man on a mission all day, putting on a spectacular display of driving as he constantly put the #65 MPC Audi at the pointy end of proceedings.

Competition was fierce and while the Audis all spent time at the top of the field, at the end of the day it was left to Mostert and Mattia Drudi in the #74 Bend Motorsport car to fight it out for pole position.

And fight they did, with Drudi setting the fastest lap to start proceedings with a 2:02.2197s only to have that lead snatched away by a flying Mostert with a 2:01.8860s. Not content with that effort, Mostert bested his own time with a 2:01.8694s to claim the top spot in the first group of qualifiers with Drudi sitting just behind him in second.

But the front grid lockout for Audi Sport was only temporary as the remaining five qualifiers each pushed the benchmark lower with each successive lap. Ultimately it took a sub-2:01s time to clinch the pole when Mercedes driver Maro Engel posted a blisteringly fast 2:00.8819 to settle it once and for all. That was enough to put the hard-charging Mostert back to sixth but just 0:00.9875s behind the pole sitter. Drudi will start just 0.3503s further back in seventh.