Fabian Coulthard has slashed the Supercars qualifying record as he and Scott McLaughlin locked out the front row for Races 1 and 2 at Albert Park.
Utilising the new Dunlop super-soft tyres, Coulthard qualified on pole for both races, while Jamie Whincup recovered from his practice doldrums to qualify third and fourth, respectively.
Qualifying for Race 1
Fabian Coulthard slashed almost 0.7s from the qualifying lap record as DJR Team Penske locked out the front row.
Coulthard laid down a 1:54.39s lap, while his team-mate Scott McLaughlin drove around Albert Park in 1:54.64s.
While many of the initial front-runners opted for only one flying lap, Tim Slade moved up to third with a second attempt, albeit 0.4s adrift of the Shell V-Power Falcons.
Jamie Whincup bounced back from a lacklustre practice session to finish fourth, ahead of David Reynolds, Chaz Mostert, Shane van Gisbergen, Michael Caruso, Rick Kelly, and Jason Bright.
Lee Holdsworth pulled off with smoke coming from his Preston Hire Commodore and was left in 25th, while Nick Percat didn’t make it beyond pit exit with suspected engine issues.
Qualifying for Race 2
DJRTP repeated the feat in qualifying for Race 2, though not as emphatically.
Coulthard was the only man to lap in the 1:54s this time around, with McLaughlin 0.1s adrift.
Jamie Whincup this time made a second attempt at a flying lap, elevating the #88 Red Bull HRT Commodore to third in the process.
Chaz Mostert, Michael Caruso, Tim Slade, Shane van Gisbergen, Garth Tander, Cameron Waters, and David Reynolds made up the top 10.
Neither Holdsworth nor Percat reappeared, while James Courtney did not set a lap time in his Mobil 1 HSV Racing Commodore.
Qualifying sessions for Races 3 and 4 follow shortly.
Result: Coates Hire Supercars Challenge Qualifying 1
| 1 | Shell V-Power Racing Team | Fabian Coulthard | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:54.3972 | |
| 2 | Shell V-Power Racing Team | Scott McLaughlin | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:54.6478 | 00.2506 |
| 3 | Freightliner Racing | Tim Slade | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.0870 | 00.6898 |
| 4 | Red Bull Holden Racing Aust | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.0958 | 00.6986 |
| 5 | Erebus Penrite Racing | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.1446 | 00.7474 |
| 6 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Chaz Mostert | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:55.1574 | 00.7602 |
| 7 | Red Bull Holden Racing Aust | Shane Van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.1934 | 00.7962 |
| 8 | Nissan Motorsport | Michael Caruso | Nissan Altima | 1:55.3996 | 01.0024 |
| 9 | Sengled Racing | Rick Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:55.5392 | 01.1420 |
| 10 | MEGA Racing | Jason Bright | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:55.5451 | 01.1479 |
| 11 | TEKNO Woodstock Racing | Will Davison | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.6428 | 01.2456 |
| 12 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:55.6779 | 01.2807 |
| 13 | Team CoolDrive | Tim Blanchard | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.7340 | 01.3368 |
| 14 | Wilson Security Racing GRM | James Moffat | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.9255 | 01.5283 |
| 15 | Mobil 1 HSV Racing | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.9347 | 01.5375 |
| 16 | Monster Energy Racing | Cameron Waters | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:55.9795 | 01.5823 |
| 17 | carsales Racing | Todd Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:55.9937 | 01.5965 |
| 18 | Mobil 1 HSV Racing | Scott Pye | Holden Commodore VF | 1:56.1008 | 01.7036 |
| 19 | TeamVortex | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VF | 1:56.1220 | 01.7248 |
| 20 | Wilson Security Racing GRM | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VF | 1:56.1385 | 01.7413 |
| 21 | Erebus GB Galvanizing Racing | Dale Wood | Holden Commodore VF | 1:56.5138 | 02.1166 |
| 22 | Team Harvey Norman | Simona De Silvestro | Nissan Altima | 1:56.8444 | 02.4472 |
| 23 | LD Motorsport | Taz Douglas | Holden Commodore VF | 1:57.2413 | 02.8441 |
| 24 | LD Motorsport | Alex Rullo | Holden Commodore VF | 1:58.6335 | 04.2363 |
| 25 | Preston Hire Racing | Lee Holdsworth | Holden Commodore VF | ||
| Team Clipsal | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore VF |
Result: Coates Hire Supercars Challenge Qualifying 2
| 1 | Shell V-Power Racing Team | Fabian Coulthard | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:54.8949 | |
| 2 | Shell V-Power Racing Team | Scott McLaughlin | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:55.0132 | 00.1183 |
| 3 | Red Bull Holden Racing Aust | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.0863 | 00.1914 |
| 4 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Chaz Mostert | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:55.2130 | 00.3181 |
| 5 | Nissan Motorsport | Michael Caruso | Nissan Altima | 1:55.2695 | 00.3746 |
| 6 | Freightliner Racing | Tim Slade | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.3645 | 00.4696 |
| 7 | Red Bull Holden Racing Aust | Shane Van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.4558 | 00.5609 |
| 8 | Wilson Security Racing GRM | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.4642 | 00.5693 |
| 9 | Monster Energy Racing | Cameron Waters | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:55.4791 | 00.5842 |
| 10 | Erebus Penrite Racing | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.5711 | 00.6762 |
| 11 | carsales Racing | Todd Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:55.6322 | 00.7373 |
| 12 | TEKNO Woodstock Racing | Will Davison | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.7315 | 00.8366 |
| 13 | Sengled Racing | Rick Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:55.7472 | 00.8523 |
| 14 | TeamVortex | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VF | 1:55.7486 | 00.8537 |
| 15 | Erebus GB Galvanizing Racing | Dale Wood | Holden Commodore VF | 1:56.0306 | 01.1357 |
| 16 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:56.0351 | 01.1402 |
| 17 | Wilson Security Racing GRM | James Moffat | Holden Commodore VF | 1:56.0489 | 01.1540 |
| 18 | Team CoolDrive | Tim Blanchard | Holden Commodore VF | 1:56.1489 | 01.2540 |
| 19 | Mobil 1 HSV Racing | Scott Pye | Holden Commodore VF | 1:56.1540 | 01.2591 |
| 20 | MEGA Racing | Jason Bright | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:56.2982 | 01.4033 |
| 21 | Team Harvey Norman | Simona De Silvestro | Nissan Altima | 1:56.7643 | 01.8694 |
| 22 | LD Motorsport | Taz Douglas | Holden Commodore VF | 1:57.3063 | 02.4114 |
| 23 | LD Motorsport | Alex Rullo | Holden Commodore VF | 1:59.0907 | 04.1958 |
| 24 | Mobil 1 HSV Racing | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VF |
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