V8 Supercars veteran Craig Lowndes picked up where he left off on Saturday to secure his second back-to-back pole position in Perth.
The Holden star will start the round’s third and final race on Sunday from the front row of the grid after setting a blistering 55.2266 second lap during qualifying.
Ford’s championship leader Mark Winterbottom was a mere 0.02 seconds slower on a slightly wet Barbagallo circuit to qualify second, ahead of Volvo’s Scott McLaughlin in third.
Ford young gun Chaz Mostert, Holden’s James Courtney and Jamie Whincup rounded out the top six.
Lowndes won the second of Saturday’s two 100km sprints after starting from pole, marking a comeback of sorts for the 39-year-old following poor showings in Auckland and Winton.
He is now just one win away from breaking Mark Skaife’s all-time record of most victories at a single track.
“For us it’s been fantastic,” he said of his team’s efforts so far this weekend.
“Being on the front couple of rows is massively important … especially around here, the way it is.”
Teammate Whincup, who scored his first podium in eight races on Saturday, was denied an opportunity to post a flying lap in the closing stages of qualifying after getting caught behind Dale Wood.
The five-time defending champion hasn’t won a race in more than two months and is sitting in fifth on the overall standings.
Although setting the third fastest lap, McLaughlin couldn’t find the pace that earned him pole position and an historic win for Volvo in Saturday’s opening sprint.
Not since 1986 had the Swedish manufacturer been victorious in a championship race – the same year they last competed in the series and won the title with Robbie Francevic behind the wheel of a 240T.
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