Paul Dumbrell will start the first of two qualifying races at the Wilson Security Sandown 500 from pole position after Jamie Whincup topped qualifying in the #1 Red Bull Holden.
A 20 minute qualifying session set the grid for the co-driver sprint race, scheduled to take place over 20 laps.
The result of the co-driver race will then set the grid for a 20 lap primary driver sprint, which will in turn determine the starting order for Sunday’s 500.
Whincup completed the qualifying session with a scintillating three-lap run that saw him improve the benchmark time on each occasion.
The five-time champion’s eventual best of 1:08.57s knocked the Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander to second moments prior to the chequered flag.
The HRT Commodore had narrowly escaped disaster earlier in the session, with Tander managing to drive his way out of the Turn 9 gravel trap after a lock-up.
Scott McLaughlin wound up third having temporarily moved to the top with his single-lap run on his final set of tyres.
Mark Winterbottom was a late improver to shoot into fourth ahead of Tander’s Walkinshaw stable-mates James Courtney and Tim Slade.
Shane van Gisbergen, David Reynolds, Craig Lowndes and Todd Kelly completed the top 10.
Just 0.2s covered the top 10 before the final green tyre runs, after which the margin had grown to 0.6s.
Rick Kelly managed 14th in his Jack Daniel’s Nissan despite damaging the right-front of his Altima against the Turn 4 exit wall late in the session.
The Erebus Mercedes-AMGs of Will Davison and Lee Holdsworth managed just 15th and 17th respectively.
Both cars are running the team’s regular specification engine after electing to remove an upgraded unit from Davison’s car on Friday night.
James Moffat’s Nissan, which qualified 21st, is meanwhile scheduled to receive a new engine prior to the co-driver qualifying race due to a reliability concern.
The co-driver qualifying race is set to start at 1445.
Result: V8 Supercars qualifying, Sandown
1 |
Red Bull Racing Australia |
Jamie Whincup |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:08.57 |
|
2 |
Holden Racing Team |
Garth Tander |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:08.73 |
00:00.15 |
3 |
Valvoline Racing GRM |
Scott McLaughlin |
Volvo S60 |
01:08.78 |
00:00.21 |
4 |
Ford Pepsi Max Crew |
Mark Winterbottom |
Ford Falcon FG |
01:08.88 |
00:00.30 |
5 |
Holden Racing Team |
James Courtney |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:08.89 |
00:00.32 |
6 |
Supercheap Auto Racing |
Tim Slade |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:08.95 |
00:00.38 |
7 |
Team Tekno VIP Petfoods |
Shane Van Gisbergen |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:08.96 |
00:00.39 |
8 |
The Bottle-O Racing Team |
David Reynolds |
Ford Falcon FG |
01:09.05 |
00:00.48 |
9 |
Red Bull Racing Australia |
Craig Lowndes |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:09.08 |
00:00.51 |
10 |
Jack Daniel's Racing |
Todd Kelly |
Nissan Altima |
01:09.14 |
00:00.57 |
11 |
Walkinshaw Racing |
Nick Percat |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:09.17 |
00:00.59 |
12 |
Team BOC |
Jason Bright |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:09.20 |
00:00.63 |
13 |
Norton Hornets |
Michael Caruso |
Nissan Altima |
01:09.21 |
00:00.64 |
14 |
Jack Daniel's Racing |
Rick Kelly |
Nissan Altima |
01:09.23 |
00:00.66 |
15 |
Erebus Motorsport V8 |
Will Davison |
Mercedes E63 AMG |
01:09.26 |
00:00.69 |
16 |
Ford Pepsi Max Crew |
Chaz Mostert |
Ford Falcon FG |
01:09.26 |
00:00.69 |
17 |
Erebus Motorsport V8 |
Lee Holdsworth |
Mercedes E63 AMG |
01:09.27 |
00:00.70 |
18 |
Lockwood Racing |
Fabian Coulthard |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:09.40 |
00:00.83 |
19 |
Wilson Security Racing |
Scott Pye |
Ford Falcon FG |
01:09.45 |
00:00.88 |
20 |
Repair Management Aust Racing |
Russell Ingall |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:09.47 |
00:00.90 |
21 |
Norton Hornets |
James Moffat |
Nissan Altima |
01:09.48 |
00:00.91 |
22 |
Valvoline Racing GRM |
Robert Dahlgren |
Volvo S60 |
01:09.49 |
00:00.92 |
23 |
Team Advam/GB |
Dale Wood |
Holden Commodore VF |
01:09.58 |
00:01.01 |
24 |
Team JELD-WEN |
Jack Perkins |
Ford Falcon FG |
01:09.71 |
00:01.13 |
25 |
Wilson Security Racing |
David Wall |
Ford Falcon FG |
01:09.78 |
00:01.21 |