V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup will start Saturday’s 300km race back in a lowly 25th after a disastrous qualifying session.

Whincup was docked his fastest time in the 30-minute session and forced to sit out the last 15 minutes after causing a red flag when debris from his Holden was left on the track.

Holden’s Garth Tander qualified fastest for the top 10 shootout for pole position, pipping Craig Lowndes with a one minute, 10.159 second fastest lap just as time expired.

Lowndes faces a nervous wait however with stewards investigating an incident between him and Ford rival Will Davison 10 minutes into the session.

Tander’s Holden Racing Team teammate James Courtney was third fastest with New Zealand pair Shane van Gisbergen and Fabian Coulthard rounding out the top five.

Ford star Mark Winterbottom struggled to overcome steering issues in the session and misses the top 10, meaning he’ll start the race in 14th position.

Davison, the fourth man in the championship race, never recovered from his run-in with Lowndes and will start back in 21st.

The top 10 shootout for pole begins at 10.45am AEST (1145 AEDT).