Scott McLaughlin is set to reignite his new-found rivalry with Jamie Whincup in Auckland on Saturday, with the Kiwi star securing pole position ahead of the defending V8 Supercars champion for the round’s final sprint race.

McLaughlin outpaced Whincup in front of an ecstatic home crowd at Pukekohe circuit in the second of two quickfire qualifying sessions.

The 20-year-old had a nervous wait to see if his provisional time would hold after the five-time title winner laid down quicker opening sectors with barely a minute-and-a-half left on the clock.

But a crash involving McLaughlin’s Volvo teammate Robert Dahlgren cut short Whincup’s hot lap and didn’t leave him enough time for another crack at pole.

The pair, who also finished one-two in practice, enjoyed a memorable battle at the season-opening Clipsal 500 in Adelaide – their last-lap duel giving rise to McLaughlin’s now infamous ‘gave it some jandal’ phrase.

Earlier, Holden star James Courtney claimed pole position for the first of Saturday’s two 100km races, with Ford’s Mark Winterbottom alongside him on the front row.

McLaughlin, who won his first V8 championship race at Pukekohe last year, will start from third, ahead of fellow youngster Chaz Mostert and Whincup in fifth.

Series leader Craig Lowndes endured a disappointing run in both 10-minute qualifying sessions, finishing 15th and seventh.

The Holden veteran, chasing his first crown since 1999, extended his championship lead to 49 points on Friday with a third-placing in the weekend’s opening race but faces a tough task to maintain his early-season buffer.

Meanwhile, David Wall will sit out the rest of the weekend after his Ford suffered significant damage when it hit a concrete barrier on Friday.

Saturday’s two 35-lap races will be followed by a 200km battle on Sunday.