Pukekohe Supercars: Van Gisbergen puts tweaked Holden on pole
Shane van Gisbergen took Holden's second pole of the 2019 Supercars season with a stunning last-gasp lap at Pukekohe.
The big guns fired early in the 20-minute session, Chaz Mostert going quickest on his first run with a 1m02.009s, followed closely by Scott McLaughlin and van Gisbergen.
At the six-minute mark Cam Waters made the first appearance in the ones, lowering the benchmark to a 1m01.929s.
Mostert swiftly responded with a 1m01.902s, before van Gisbergen trumped the lot with a 1m01.753s.
Momentum swung back in Tickford's favour as the crucial final runs kicked off, Waters going quickest with a 1m01.698s as Will Davison moved into second place.
At the same time van Gisbergen looked to have ruined his run with a costly slide at the back chicane, forcing him into a second lap on his tyre set.
But a spectacular middle sector helped the Red Bull Holden driver to pole right at the flag, van Gisbergen gapping the Tickford Mustangs by 0.15s.
It's just the second pole for a Commodore driver this season, and comes off the back of a fresh round of aero tweaks.
"I just fired up man, there's nothing like racing at home. With all the people here cheering us on, it's such a cool feeling," said van Gisbergen.
"The first lap of the second run I mucked up, and then I put it together for the last one. I'm super stoked. The race is going to be tough with a bunch of those Fords behind us and the weather coming."
Mostert made it a three-car Tickford train behind van Gisbergen, while Fabian Coulthard made a rare appearance ahead of Scott McLaughlin, the Penske pair locking out the third row.
David Reynolds was the second-best Holden driver down in seventh, followed by Lee Holdsworth, Anton De Pasquale and Nick Percat.
Jamie Whincup was a surprise omission from the top 10, the seven-time champ more than half a second off his teammate's pace down in 12th.
| Cla | # | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97 |  Shane van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'01.5480 |
| 2 | 6 |  Cameron Waters | Ford Mustang GT | 1'01.6986 |
| 3 | 23 | Will Davison | Ford Mustang GT | 1'01.7513 |
| 4 | 55 | Chaz Mostert | Ford Mustang GT | 1'01.7804 |
| 5 | 12 | Fabian Coulthard | Ford Mustang GT | 1'01.8018 |
| 6 | 17 | Scott McLaughlin | Ford Mustang GT | 1'01.8461 |
| 7 | 9 | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'01.9151 |
| 8 | 5 | Lee Holdsworth | Ford Mustang GT | 1'01.9338 |
| 9 | 99 | Anton De Pasquale | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.0444 |
| 10 | 8 | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.0786 |
| 11 | 2 | Scott Pye | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.1043 |
| 12 | 88 | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.1251 |
| 13 | 14 | Tim Slade | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.1477 |
| 14 | 33 | Richie Stanaway | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.1694 |
| 15 | 18 | Mark Winterbottom | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.1829 |
| 16 | 7 | Andre Heimgartner | Nissan Altima | 1'02.2470 |
| 17 | 3 | Garry Jacobson | Nissan Altima | 1'02.2680 |
| 18 | 34 | James Golding | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.2712 |
| 19 | 22 | James Courtney | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.3129 |
| 20 | 35 | Todd Hazelwood | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.3532 |
| 21 | 21 | Macauley Jones | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'02.3648 |
| 22 | 15 | Rick Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1'02.4633 |
| 23 | 78 |  Simona de Silvestro | Nissan Altima | 1'02.6325 |
| 24 | 19 | Jack Le Brocq | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'03.1087 |
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About this article
| Series | Supercars |
| Event | Auckland |
| Author | Andrew van Leeuwen |
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