Saturday, 12 April 2025:
New Zealand's Matt Payne has claimed pole position for the first Taupo 440 race to kick off the Supercars action across the Tasman.
Grove Racing driver Payne set a new qualifying record to start the first of two 120km races on Saturday at the top of the grid, claiming pole with a lap time of one minute and 25.700 seconds.
But Payne will have to start the second 37-lap sprint of the day in seventh after Brodie Kostecki claimed the second pole up for grabs at Taupo International Motorsport Park.
Kostecki was second-fastest in the first qualifying session to share the front row with Payne, followed by Tickford's Cam Waters and fellow Kiwi Ryan Wood in third and fourth respectively.
Championship contender Broc Feeney missed the first session's top 10 by 0.022 seconds and will start the first race in 11th after struggling through the track's opening sector.
His Triple Eight teammate and defending champion Will Brown was made to accept a start in 13th, while last year's race winner Andre Heimgartner settled for 14th.
Kostecki will share the front row for the second sprint with Walkinshaw Andretti United ace Chaz Mostert.
Mostert had flaunted his quality behind the wheel of his Ford Mustang, laying down just one lap in the new supersoft tyre compound to make the top-10 before grabbing a front-row finish.
Feeney was third-fastest after recovering from an off-track escapade at turn 13, with Kostecki's teammate Will Davison to start in fourth.
Waters similarly endured a lock-up at turn 13 and scraped a finish in sixth, sharing the third row with fifth-placed Brown.
Payne will be joined by rookie teammate and eighth-placed Kai Allen on the fourth row.
The first race of the weekend will get underway at 10.50am (AEST), followed by the second at 2.05pm.
