Garth Tander came out on top of a frantic late rush on a drying track to take pole for the first V8 Supercars race of the weekend at Barbagallo.
Pole changed hands repeatedly in the closing moments as track conditions improved at the Perth venue, before Holden Racing Team driver Tander claimed the top spot with a 1m02.1974s lap. Tander usurped Brad Jones Racing's Jason Bright, who was just 0.0751sec slower.
Reigning champion Jamie Whincup took third for Triple Eight, sharing row two with Jonathon Webb after a very strong run from the Tekno driver. Whincup's teammate Craig Lowndes was one of the men wrong-footed in the final scramble and will start only 16th.
Ford Performance Racing, the leading team so far this season, saw Mark Winterbottom and satellite driver David Reynolds claim the row three spots, while championship leader Will Davison ended up ninth in its No. 6 car.
Fabian Coulthard (Brad Jones Racing) held provisional pole for a spell but was pushed back to seventh. For former champion James Courtney in the second HRT entry, eighth place marked a significant upturn in qualifying form. Lee Holdsworth completed the top 10 for Stone Brothers Ford.
Race one takes place later on Saturday afternoon, with two more qualifying sessions and races scheduled for Sunday.