Brodie Kostecki has secured pole position for Race 10 of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship with a commanding lap during the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout at the ITM Taupō Super 440.
The reigning Bathurst 1000 champion was the last driver to run in the Shootout after locking in provisional pole earlier in the day. And when it mattered most, Kostecki delivered in style. His 1:25.7052s lap in the #38 Ford was enough to top the timesheets by 0.1677s, marking his 15th career pole and ninth earned in a Shootout.
It was a significant moment not just for Kostecki, but for Dick Johnson Racing. The Queensland-based squad had only just welcomed Kostecki into the fold, replacing Anton De Pasquale—who will now join him on the front row for Sunday’s race.
Kostecki was visibly ecstatic after the lap, with both relief and pride etched into his words.
"I'm honestly so happy for this whole Shell V-Power Racing Team, and to have Jet Couriers on the car is pretty special as well," he said.
"This means a lot to everyone in the whole group… we've been slowly getting on top of [balance issues] and I think we saw that towards the end of the Grand Prix."
The lap was a statement of intent from Kostecki, who is looking for redemption after finishing second to Chaz Mostert in Saturday’s race.
"I told George [Commins, race engineer] that I'd be happy with two tenths, and we're almost there."
Tight Times and Rookie Surprises
The Shootout kicked off with James Golding setting the early benchmark of 1:26.6797s on used tyres. Chaz Mostert quickly bettered that with a 1:26.2912s, before Penrite Racing rookie Kai Allen, in his first-ever Shootout, edged ahead with a tidy 1:26.2312s.
Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle was the first to use a new set of soft tyres, which came alive in the final sectors of his lap, putting him atop the leaderboard with a 1:26.1174s.
Matt Payne, who remains in the hunt for the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, briefly slotted into second with a 1:26.1550s, followed by Andre Heimgartner, who took a different tyre strategy by only running fresh rubber on the working side of his Camaro. His lap was competitive but only good enough for fourth.
The drama ramped up with Ryan Wood’s lap of 1:25.8999s – the first to break into the 1:25s. But that lead was short-lived, as De Pasquale—last year’s Jason Richards Trophy winner—surged to the top with a 1:25.8729s.
Then came Kostecki.
Three tenths up by the end of Sector 2, the 2023 Supercars champion didn’t put a foot wrong and crossed the line to seal a stunning pole lap, rewriting the leaderboard and setting the stage for a fiery Sunday.
Sunday Showdown Awaits
Race 10 of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship begins at 3:05pm NZST / 1:05pm AEST. It spans 61 laps and will decide who claims the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.
With Kostecki on pole and De Pasquale beside him, it’s a front row full of storylines—and a race that promises fireworks.
