Waters denies Randle in ultra-tight Sydney Shootout

Cam Waters led an all-Tickford Racing front row for the Panasonic Air Conditioning Sydney SuperNight opener, as he beat teammate Thomas Randle to pole by 0.0134s.

A thrilling fight for pole eventually boiled down to a battle between the two Tickford drivers under lights in Sydney.

In the end, a supreme middle sector delivered Waters a fifth pole of the season and 27th of his career, with Chaz Mostert and Anton De Pasquale completing a top four lockout for Ford.

Remarkably, the top four drivers were covered by just 0.0852s, with Broc Feeney the lead Chevrolet in fifth. Waters, Mostert and Feeney are now armed with another chance to take more points off championship leader Will Brown, who was only eighth.

"I just didn't do quite as nice a job as qualifying, but the car is so nice to drive, it's super pacey on a green tyre," Waters said.

"Tom did an awesome job as well, that lap was pretty hard to beat from him. But, awesome to have two cars up there."

Matt Payne, meanwhile, will start 10th after the Penrite Racing driver suffered a spin towards the end of his lap.

David Reynolds opened proceedings with a 1:30.8789s, before De Pasquale put 0.9275s on the Team 18 veteran with a 1:29.9514s. Championship leader Brown went next and turned in a 1:30.5313s, which was 0.5799s down on De Pasquale’s time.

Payne laid down the fastest first sector and loomed to jump to the top, but missed the apex completely at Turn 10, sending the Penrite Ford into a wild spin.

Will Davison was also unable to unseat De Pasquale, with the two-time Bathurst winner making it a Shell V-Power one-two with a 1:30.1932s.

Randle went 0.08s quicker in the first sector, but was 0.03s down on De Pasquale’s sector benchmark. Randle finished off the lap with a 1:29.8796s, which was just 0.0718s faster.

Percat slotted into fourth with a 1:30.4235s, behind Randle and the Shell Fords, leaving just Mostert, Feeney and Waters between Randle and a second career pole.

Mostert clawed back time over the duration of his 1:29.9155s, but was still behind Randle, albeit by 0.0359s.

Feeney didn’t go faster either, with the #88 slotting into fourth with a 1:30.0769s.

Waters set off after a fifth Boost Mobile Pole of the season, but was 0.03s down on Randle at the first sector. However, Waters pieced together a superb mid-sector en route to a 1:29.8662s.

The first 51-lap race of the weekend, Race 15, will commence at 7:35pm AEST.