Yesterday’s action-packed Boost Mobile Shootout at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 saw championship leader Will Brown secure pole position in dramatic fashion, edging out Cam Waters by a mere 0.06 seconds. Brown, driving the Red Bull #87, claimed his seventh supercars career pole and his second consecutive at Sandown, setting himself up for today’s highly anticipated race.
In what was a nail-biting one-lap dash, Brown held his nerve in tricky conditions to post a time of 1:10.2549s. Waters, who was hot on his heels, clocked in just behind with a time of 1:10.3196s. Anton De Pasquale surprised everyone by finishing third, despite a shaky start that saw him run wide at the final corner before his lap began. He recovered brilliantly, but his time was ultimately no match for Brown’s.
Brown’s performance not only gives him a solid start for today’s race, but also marks his first pole since the 2024 season-opening Bathurst 500 in February. After receiving the Boost Mobile Pole Position Award from Collingwood AFL star Jordan De Goey, Brown expressed his excitement. “I knew it would just be who didn’t stuff up out there, so I was just trying not to screw it up,” he said. “It’s been a tough few rounds for us, but I really wanted another pole this year, and now I’m ready to try and win this weekend.”
The competition in the shootout was fierce, with Andre Heimgartner, Richie Stanaway, and Brodie Kostecki unable to best De Pasquale’s early pace. Ryan Wood, who initially looked like a threat, lost control in the esses and ended up in the Turn 9 sand trap. Meanwhile, Matt Payne and Chaz Mostert both struggled to make a dent in the top three times, leaving Brown’s teammate, Feeney, as the last real challenge – but even he couldn’t unseat Brown.
With the pole in hand, Brown now leads the charge into today’s 161-lap Sandown 500, which will kick off at 2:05pm AEST. A total of 16 Chevrolet Camaros and 10 Ford Mustangs will take to the track for what promises to be an exciting and gruelling race.
Catch all the action from the Penrite Oil Sandown 500, live on Kayo or Foxtel.
The event will be broadcast live on Foxtel’s Fox Sports 506 and streamed on Kayo, with highlights also airing on the Seven Network.
For fans of high-speed drama, today’s race is shaping up to be a must-watch.
