Overview
- Payne was fastest in Friday practice and then set provisional pole with a 1:08.4079 lap in Saturday qualifying, giving him the weekend pace advantage.
- Qualifying saw Brodie Kostecki second and Chaz Mostert produce a last-lap charge to climb from outside the top 10 into third on the sheet.
- Mostert had earlier suffered gearbox/shift issues that left him off the pace in practice but his late qualifying lap suggested the team addressed the problem.
- Team 18 drivers Anton De Pasquale and David Reynolds ran limited laps because of tyre management choices, with De Pasquale recovering to seventh in practice.
- The Top 10 Shootout and two 250km races will now decide which four finalists remain and which race winners secure automatic grand‑final berths in Adelaide.