Tickford Racing’s Cam Waters has mastered wet and wild conditions in New Zealand to claim pole for the first race of the Taupo 400.
Waters dominated the top-10 shootout ahead of Saturday’s 60-lap Supercars race – the first at Taupo International Motorsport Park.
The Ford ace finished half-a-second in front of second-placed Will Brown to earn his second pole of 2024.
Rain bucketed down for the whole shootout, and got substantially heavier the longer the session went on, as some drivers, including Shell V-Power pair Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale, made costly mistakes.
“Pretty wild qualifying … obviously got pretty lucky getting wetter throughout the session, but in saying that the car was was pretty hooked up and felt comfortable straight out the gate,” Waters said.
“I’ve had a lot of bad luck this year so I’ll take a bit of good luck then.
“I think it’s gonna be a pretty spicy race in the wet or the dry so hopefully we can keep her up the front and get a win.”
After breaking through for his first Supercars win in four years in the last race in Melbourne, Matt Stone Racing’s Nick Percat qualified 24th and will start from the back of the grid.
Red Bull Ampol star Broc Feeney missed the shootout and will begin back in 13th, behind the likes of Tim Slade, Thomas Randle and Bryce Fullwood.
Reigning champion Brodie Kostecki qualified 15th in his first race back following his dramatic dispute with Erebus after he sat out rounds in Bathurst and Melbourne.
After the closure of Pukekohe Raceway in 2022, the touring car series stayed solely in Australia last year.
But Taupo, about three hours south of Auckland, is ready to host what is expected to be a thrilling race in the wet.
SUPERCARS TAUPO 400 RACE ONE GRID
1. Cam Waters (Tickford)
2. Will Brown (Red Bull Ampol)
3. Andre Heimgartner (Brad Jones Racing)
4. Tim Slade (PremiAir Racing)
5. Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw Andretti United)