R6K QUAL - Title to be fought from front row
11/8/2001 20:18 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
Title contenders Simon Wills and Paul Dumbrell will fight out this year’s Konica V8 Supercar Series Championship from the front row at Mallala Raceway tomorrow, after today’s all-important qualifying session.
But Wills, who is just 14-points behind Dumbrell in the title chase, gained the physiological edge this afternoon by grabbing pole position ahead of his main challenger.
The 24-year-old, aboard his Biranna Racing-prepared Commodore, clocked a 1:08.23m flier, easily eclipsing David Besnard’s lap record, to score his third pole position of the year.
Series leader, 18-year-old Dumbrell was less than a tenth of a second slower in his Wynn’s Commodore.
Dumbrell admitted he “just wasn’t there today” after two slip-ups saw him spin off the circuit during the session.
Still, both drivers played cat-and-mouse throughout qualifying, sharing the position atop the time sheets before Wills emerged victorious.
"I was pushing pretty hard," Wills said. "We started off with a good set-up this morning on a cold track, but as the track warmed-up, it went away from the car.
“It is great to grab pole position, but tomorrow is the day that counts.”
The Kiwi has support this weekend from Les Laidlaw, who has been lent to Wills by John Briggs’ CAT Racing outfit – the team he’ll drive for, partnering John Bowe, in the endurance events.
The only other man with the Konica Series crown in his reach, veteran David “Truckie” Parsons, will start back in eighth.
Queenslander Michael Simpson will start from third after his best qualifying performance of the year. He’ll share the second row with former Formula Holden competitor Dale Brede, who was equally impressive in his Commodore.
"The best thing about today was that the car was good from the word go,” Brede said. “We didn't have to play catch up at all, so we kept getting faster with every session.”
Winton round winner Owen Kelly was bitterly disappointed with his fifth, one ahead of Garry Rogers prodigy Leanne Ferrier.
Rich Melbourne-based outfit, Prancing Horse Racing, has stolen much of the limelight at Mallala Raceway this weekend, making their debut in V8 Supercar racing.
The team’s Budweiser-backed AU Falcon, driven by former Holden Young Lion Mark Noske this weekend, showed steady improvement throughout the morning’s two practice sessions to slip into the top ten in their first ever qualifying hit-out.
The Konica Series showdown will be decided over three 20-minute sprint events tomorrow, including a top ten reverse grid in the second race. Race one gets the green light at 11:30am.
**QUALIFYING - TOP TEN**
1st SIMON WILLS (Team Dynamic) - VT Commodore [1:08.2309min]
2nd PAUL DUMBRELL (Wynn's Racing) - VT Commodore [1:08.3276]
3rd MICHAEL SIMPSON (Michael Simpson Racing) - EL Falcon [1:08.6334]
4th DALE BREDE (NRC Racing) - VT Commodore [1:08.7956]
5th OWEN KELLY (John Faulkner Racing) - VS Commodore [1:09.0501]
6th LEANNE FERRIER (Garry Rogers Motorsport) - VT Commodore [1:09.1281]
7th ADAM WALLIS (Scotcher Team SA) - EL Falcon [1:09.1514]
8th DAVID PARSONS (Gibson Motorsport) - VT Commodore [1:09.1824]
9th CRAIG HARRIS (Castrol Harris Racing) - AU Falcon [1:09.4580]
10th MARK NOSKE (Bud Racing) - AU Falcon [1:09.6838]
For complete practice/qualifying results:
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?12/08/2001.MALL
|
|
