V8 Supercars set for qualifying after final practice
Tim Slade set the pace in final practice
Qualifying for today’s Race 17 of the V8 Supercars Championship awaits after the conclusion of the sixth and final practice session of the weekend at the Coates Hire Ipswich 300.
Tim Slade set the fastest time in the 30 minute hit-out, edging Race 16 winner Craig Lowndes by just 0.0013s.
Lowndes had sat atop the order for much of the session, running a 1:09.66s on just his second flying lap before lowering the benchmark by a further 0.22s with his final effort at the 25 minute mark.
Slade’s time was set just seconds after Lowndes’, while similarly late efforts from Tony D’Alberto and Michael Caruso saw them complete the top four.
Filling fifth through 10th were Shane van Gisbergen, James Moffat, Russell Ingall, Karl Reindler, Dean Fiore and Jamie Whincup.
David Reynolds, who has been ill all weekend, was the fastest of the Ford Performance Racing entries in 20th. Team-mates Mark Winterbottom were 21st and 27th respectively.
Race 17′s 20 minute qualifying is scheduled to kick-off at 1300 local time.
See below for the full session result
| 1 | Lucky 7 Racing | Tim Slade | Ford Falcon FG | 1:09.4398 | |
| 2 | TeamVodafone | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:09.4411 | 0:00.0013 |
| 3 | Team Hiflex | Tony D’Alberto | Ford Falcon FG | 1:09.5010 | 0:00.0612 |
| 4 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Michael Caruso | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:09.5373 | 0:00.0975 |
| 5 | SP Tools Racing | Shane Van Gisbergen | Ford Falcon FG | 1:09.6518 | 0:00.2120 |
| 6 | Team Norton DJR | James Moffat | Ford Falcon FG | 1:09.8060 | 0:00.3662 |
| 7 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Russell Ingall | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:09.8566 | 0:00.4168 |
| 8 | Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing | Karl Reindler | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:09.9425 | 0:00.5027 |
| 9 | Jim Beam Racing | Dean Fiore | Ford Falcon FG | 1:09.9829 | 0:00.5431 |
| 10 | TeamVodafone | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.0037 | 0:00.5639 |
| 11 | Holden Racing Team | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.0485 | 0:00.6087 |
| 12 | VIP Petfoods | Steve Owen | Ford Falcon FG | 1:10.0561 | 0:00.6163 |
| 13 | Irwin Racing | Lee Holdsworth | Ford Falcon FG | 1:10.0588 | 0:00.6190 |
| 14 | Jim Beam Racing | Steven Johnson | Ford Falcon FG | 1:10.0862 | 0:00.6464 |
| 15 | Tekno Autosports | Jonathon Webb | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.0953 | 0:00.6555 |
| 16 | Team iSelect | Taz Douglas | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.1206 | 0:00.6808 |
| 17 | Lockwood Racing | Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.1696 | 0:00.7298 |
| 18 | Team BOC | Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.2437 | 0:00.8039 |
| 19 | Wilson Security Racing | David Wall | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.2730 | 0:00.8332 |
| 20 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | David Reynolds | Ford Falcon FG | 1:10.3105 | 0:00.8707 |
| 21 | Orrcon Steel FPR Ford | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG | 1:10.3294 | 0:00.8896 |
| 22 | Holden Racing Team | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.3541 | 0:00.9143 |
| 23 | Tekno Autosports | Michael Patrizi | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.3596 | 0:00.9198 |
| 24 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Todd Kelly | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.3834 | 0:00.9436 |
| 25 | Pepsi Max Crew | Jaques Villeneuve | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.4629 | 0:01.0231 |
| 26 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Alexandre Premat | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.5686 | 0:01.1288 |
| 27 | Trading Post FPR Ford | Will Davison | Ford Falcon FG | 1:10.5783 | 0:01.1385 |
| 28 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Rick Kelly | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:10.6209 | 0:01.1811 |
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Coates Hire Ipswich 300 Race Guide
