Chaos, Drama, and Pole Position at the Ipswich Supercars
If you thought qualifying sessions were just about setting the fastest lap, think again — because the first part of Race 23 qualifying at Queensland Raceway turned into something straight out of a motorsport blooper reel. With the clock ticking down, most of the Supercars field was jostling for position, all trying to line up the perfect two-lap run. But instead of clean laps, what fans got was a slow-moving traffic jam on the run to Turn 3 — complete with close calls, actual contact, and plenty of frustration.
Cam Waters found himself nose-to-tail with Kai Allen, giving him a nudge while David Reynolds swept past both Fords. The messy scenes meant some big names — including Waters and Matt Payne — didn’t even make it to Q2. Waters, shaking his head, called it “a bit of a laugh,” but you could tell there was more exasperation than amusement behind that comment. James Courtney, gearing up for his 600th race, pointed out the problem plainly: cars at the front of the pit lane were cruising with time to spare, while those further back were under huge pressure to get laps in — and the combination wasn’t pretty.
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In commentary, Neil Crompton jokingly dubbed it the “car park Grand Prix,” while former champions Mark Winterbottom and Garth Tander were left scratching their heads. Winterbottom, in his 21st season, admitted he’d never seen anything like it. Tander was quick to pin some of the blame on team strategy, saying many left pit lane far too late, creating an inevitable logjam. One of the worst affected was Jack Le Brocq, whose promising lap was completely ruined when he encountered the pack at Turn 3.
Despite the drama, Broc Feeney emerged from the chaos with pole position — and his title hopes very much intact. Feeney, the current championship leader, is chasing not just wins this weekend but also the inaugural Sprint Cup title, which comes with a handy 25-point bonus heading into the first-ever Supercars finals series. He’s been on blistering form lately, carrying momentum from victories in Darwin and Townsville into Ipswich. His main threat? Teammate Will Brown, who topped the second practice session and is still mathematically in with a shot at overhauling him.
With two 120km races on Saturday and a 200km battle on Sunday, there’s still a lot to play for — and if qualifying was anything to go by, the weekend could be just as unpredictable. Between milestone starts for Waters (300 races) and Courtney (600 races), a main-game debut for Zach Bates, and the looming endurance season with Bathurst on the horizon, there’s no shortage of storylines.
But for now, one thing is clear — Queensland Raceway has already delivered one of the most bizarre qualifying moments in recent memory, and it’s got the paddock buzzing. If the race action is anything like the “Supercars car park” in Q1, fans are in for a wild ride.
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