R7S PRE-QUAL - Faulkner exiled at Calder
14/7/2001 10:03 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
John Faulkner’s cash-strapped season has gone from bad to worse, exiled from Calder Park Raceway yesterday after failing a pre-qualifying test.
Faulkner, along with fellow evictees Tyler Mecklem and Phonsy Mullan, are on their way home after missing out on the seven grid positions on offer in the ten-car pre-qualifying shootout.
The news was better for youngsters Jason Richards and Dean Canto, who survived pre-qualifying on their fourth attempt.
Team Kiwi Racing’s Richards topped the time sheets with a 1:04.12min fastest lap, two-tenths quicker than Canto.
After overcoming engine misfire dramas in practice – and a slippery Calder circuit after light rain early in the session – Richards was overjoyed to make the weekend.
"I was really stressed out after sitting out practice with the misfire," Richards said. "I was sitting in the car while the team searched for the problem thinking I might as well pack this V8 racing in and go home.
”Even though this has been our test track this year, I had never driven on it in the wet, so I just decided to try a few kart lines and it worked. It’s hard to win on a Sunday, but easier on a Friday.”
Said last year’s Konica Series champion, Canto; "John Bowe has been kind enough to offer some great advice on how to set up these AUXR8 Falcons, and we have come here with a good base set-up and it has worked a treat for us today."
Tomas Mezera, aboard an Imrie Motorsport Commodore for the next two rounds, was third quickest, ahead of newly-signed Stone Brothers racer, Matthew White.
Anthony Tratt survived, as did Young Lion Paul Romano. Dugal McDougall snuck in with a last-gasp flier to displace Faulkner on the grid.
Qualifying, and the grid-determining Top Ten Shootout, is scheduled for later today.
**PRE-QUALIFYING – TOP TEN**
1st JASON RICHARDS (Team Kiwi Racing) - VT Commodore [1:04.1294min]
2nd DEAN CANTO (RPM International Racing) - AU Falcon [1:04.3858]
3rd TOMAS MEZERA (IMS-Imrie Motorsport) - VX Commodore [1:04.5759]
4th MATHEW WHITE (Challenge Recruitment) - VS Commodore [1:04.8773]
5th ANTHONY TRATT (Toll Racing) - AU Falcon [1:04.8781]
6th PAUL ROMANO (Holden Young Lions) - VX Commodore [1:05.2597]
7th DUGAL McDOUGALL (Pepsi-Cola Racing) - VT Commodore [1:05.5719]
DNQ JOHN FAULKNER (John Faulkner Racing) - VT Commodore [1:06.3636]
DNQ TYLER MECKLEM (Ultra Tune Racing) - VT Commodore [1:08.7832]
DNQ PHONSY MULLAN (GM Motorsport) - VS Commodore [1:14.2016]
For complete practice/pre-qualifying results:
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?15/07/2001.CALD
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