Defending Supercars champion’s incredible feat as mistake leaves star ‘heartbroken’

Reigning Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki battled illness to claimed Bathurst 1000 pole after a stunning effort in the Shootout.

Reigning Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki has claimed the Bathurst 1000 pole position after his stellar drive pipped rival Cam Waters for Sunday’s Great Race.

Kostecki becomes the first driver since Garth Tander back in 2009 to go back-to-back on pole at Mount Panorama after blitzing the field with his 2.05.511 in Saturday’s Top 10 Shootout.

It’s been a difficult season for the 26-year-old, who missed the earlier Bathurst race after stepping away from the sport.

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But Fox Motorsport’s Neil Crompton was adamant Kostecki was back to his best ahead of Sunday’s 1000km event.

“It was a beautiful bit of craftsmanship,” Crompton said of Kostecki’s hot lap.

“How great to see that smile back on his face again?

“After the difficult start to the championship year for him, well publicised, to come back and emphatically smash the desk and grab pole position at the most difficult of places.

“He’s an impressive young man.

“I just love he’s got all of his mojo back.”

Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazlewood will start the Bathurst 1000 from pole.

Kostecki himself admitted his pole winning lap wasn’t the best – but was ecstatic to take the honours.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to get it. It wasn’t the best lap I’ve done around here,” he told Fox Motorsport.

“We can’t start better than this. Just heads down for tomorrow and tomorrow is a long day. Just got to minimise mistakes and see how we go.”

Kostecki said he battled a vibration issue throughout the Shootout, but managed to get past it.

“Chattering my teeth on Conrod Straight there!” he laughed.

“It was actually a bit hard of a lap to be honest. I had really bad tyre vibrations so it was really hard coming into Conrod.

“I was starting to get double vision from the vibrations so I was just glad to pull up … stellar work by the whole crew and stoked to get this pole for them.”

Kostecki revealed he’d battled illness before heading into Saturday’s Shootout.

Brodie Kostecki secured pole for the Great Race. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

“George, my engineer, was telling me just go out there and do a lap and you’ll be fine. Just put in the shootout for tomorrow and you’ll be right. He was really good to me yesterday, just kept me nice and calm, I wasn’t feeling very well yesterday,” he said.

“Took a while to come in today, I actually watched the co-driver session from the house … it’s been one of those weekends and hopefully tomorrow we have a good day and that’ll be the cherry on top.

“Everyone was asking him (Todd Hazelwood) to give me a kiss. He didn’t do that but it’s been great working with him. He’s been really good with the car balance and race runs … it’s been awesome.”

Meanwhile, Andre Heimgartner’s first Bathurst 1000 shootout went awry as he sent it wide on Turn 1.

Heimgartner’s hot lap was over just as it started when he locked up and hit the litter.

Team radio was heard urging him to carry on and finish the lap – in the hope someone else could make a similar mistake.

The result ensures Heimgartner now sits in 10th.

“He will be heartbroken with that one,” Crompton said. “A costly mistake.”

The 61st edition of the Bathurst 1000 takes place on Sunday when drivers race 161 laps on Mount Panorama.

The Bathurst 1000 is the tenth race of the Supercars season, with competition leader Will Brown currently 189 points clear of second-placed Chaz Mostert.

Originally published as Defending Supercars champion’s incredible feat as mistake leaves star ‘heartbroken’