
Factory Mercedes driver Engel had already topped the 40-minute qualifying session to snare provisional pole with a 2m01.053s lap, which eclipsed the 2m01.286s time set by Shane van Gisbergen in 2016.
Engel, the 2014 Bathurst poleman, then staged a thrilling battle in the second part of the Shootout with fellow Mercedes driver Broc Feeney and the pair traded fastest times as they flirted with the 2m00s mark.