The 20-minute session boiled down to a battle between reigning champion van Gisbergen and DJR Team Penske’s star signing Scott McLaughlin.

The Penske Ford driver had jumped to the top with 11 minutes to go with a 1m19.780s, and looked odds on to improve on that time with a second run right at the end, but fell around a tenth short.

At almost the same time van Gisbergen, who had sat third before the happy hour right at the end, jumped to the top with a 1m19.780s of his own, edging McLaughlin’s near identical time by 0.0001s.

“I went to the toilet before qualifying, maybe that was it!” said van Gisbergen.

“It’s not pole yet, but we’re in the Shootout. I’m feeling really good.”

Having been on the pace all day, Nissan driver Rick Kelly kept his good form going into qualifying with third, ahead of James Courtney in the HSV Racing Commodore, Chaz Mostert in the Prodrive Ford, and Fabian Coulthard in the Penske Ford.

Van Gisbergen’s teammate Jamie Whincup came from outside the Top 20 at the end to book a Shootout spot with seventh, ahead of Prodrive pair Mark Winterbottom and Cam Waters and Erebus driver David Reynolds.

Nick Percat was the unlucky man on the Top 10 bubble, finishing 11th, ahead of Brad Jones Racing teammate Tim Slade. Craig Lowndes also missed out on a Shootout berth, finishing 13th.