Shane van Gisbergen set the fastest time in a Race 20 qualifying session that saw both Red Bull Racing Holdens miss the Top 10 Shootout.
Van Gisbergen edged his Tekno Holden 0.06s ahead of Mark Winterbottom’s FPR Ford as the chequered flag flew on the 20 minute session.
Winterbottom and eventual third placed man Fabian Coulthard had sat atop the sheets heading into the final minutes after completing early final runs while the track was clear.
The hard tyre only session was the first clear indication of the relative speed of the cars this weekend following a typically mixed five practice hit-outs.
James Courtney, Will Davison and David Reynolds all improved with their final qualifying efforts for fourth through sixth, while an early time from Jason Bright held up for seventh.
Scott McLaughlin, Tim Slade and Alex Davison complete the Shootout field, while Rick Kelly narrowly missed out on ensuring all marques are represented in the Top 10.
The biggest story, however, was the disappointment at Red Bull after Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup managed just 12th and 16th respectively.
The duo took the flag line astern at the end of the session, with Lowndes marginally improving as Whincup continued to struggle.
The Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander also had a disappointing run and will start 15th.
Soft tyres will be permitted in the Top 10 Shootout, which is set to take place at 1310 local time.
QUALIFYING : Race 20 – Townsville
Pos | Team | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
1 | TEKNO Team VIP | Â Shane van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore VF | 1:13.5569* | |
2 | Pepsi Max Crew FPR Ford | Â Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.6137 | Â 0:00.0568 |
3 | Lockwood Racing | Â Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore VF | 1:13.6297 | Â 0:00.0728 |
4 | Holden Racing Team | Â James Courtney | Holden Commodore VF | 1:13.6941 | Â 0:00.1372 |
5 | Pepsi Max Crew FPR Ford | Â Will Davison | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.7103 | Â 0:00.1534 |
6 | The Bottle-O FPR Ford | Â David Reynolds | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.7119 | Â 0:00.1550 |
7 | Team BOC | Â Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VF | 1:13.7217 | Â 0:00.1648 |
8 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Â Scott McLaughlin | Holden Commodore VF | 1:13.7516 | Â 0:00.1947 |
9 | Heavy Haulage Australia Racing | Â Tim Slade | Mercedes E63 AMG | 1:13.8386 | Â 0:00.2817 |
10 | Jeld-wen FPR Ford | Â Alex Davison | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.8588 | Â 0:00.3019 |
11 | Jack Daniel’s Racing |  Rick Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:13.9098 |  0:00.3529 |
12 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Â Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VF | 1:13.9112 | Â 0:00.3543 |
13 | Team HIFLEX |  Tony D’Alberto | Holden Commodore VF | 1:13.9314 |  0:00.3745 |
14 | Wilson Security Racing | Â Chaz Mostert | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.9319 | Â 0:00.3750 |
15 | Holden Racing Team | Â Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VF | 1:13.9466 | Â 0:00.3897 |
16 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Â Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VF | 1:14.0316 | Â 0:00.4747 |
17 | Tekno Autosports | Â Jonathon Webb | Holden Commodore VF | 1:14.0335 | Â 0:00.4766 |
18 | Irwin Racing | Â Lee Holdsworth | Mercedes E63 AMG | 1:14.0337 | Â 0:00.4768 |
19 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Â Alexandre Premat | Holden Commodore VF | 1:14.0880 | Â 0:00.5311 |
20 | Wilson Security Racing | Â David Wall | Holden Commodore VF | 1:14.1661 | Â 0:00.6092 |
21 | SP Tools Racing | Â Maro Engel | Mercedes E63 AMG | 1:14.1724 | Â 0:00.6155 |
22 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Â Russell Ingall | Holden Commodore VF | 1:14.2799 | Â 0:00.7230 |
23 | Jack Daniel’s Racing |  Todd Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:14.3201 |  0:00.7632 |
24 | Norton 360 Racing | Â James Moffat | Nissan Altima | 1:14.4180 | Â 0:00.8611 |
25 | ekol Racing | Â Scott Pye | Holden Commodore VF | 1:14.4635 | Â 0:00.9066 |
26 | Norton 360 Racing | Â Michael Caruso | Nissan Altima | 1:14.5340 | Â 0:00.9771 |
27 | Wilson Security Racing | Â Tim Blanchard | Ford Falcon FG | 1:14.7142 | Â 0:01.1573 |
28 | Dodo Insurance Racing | Â Dean Fiore | Holden Commodore VF | 1:14.7495 | Â 0:01.1921 |