For the second time in his V8 career, Orrcon Steel Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom will start from pole. It’s the fourth time that Winterbottom’s entry will start from the front row of the grid, the fifth-consecutive year he’s started in the top three and the 15th pole of his career.
While he has a great qualifying record, ‘Frosty’ is yet to stand on the podium of The Great Race. Will tomorrow be his first?
Holden’s great hope will be TeamVodafone. Craig Lowndes/Mark Skaife and Jamie Whincup/Steve Owen will start second and third ahead of Lee Holdsworth/Michael Caruso in the Fujitsu Racing Commodore VE.
The Toll Holden Racing Team will start fifth and sixth.
Beyond the top 10, there has been some frustrating team members and drivers walking up and down Pit Straight.
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All three Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon will start outside the top 10 – a statistic not seen at Bathurst 1000 for some time.
The four car Kelly Racing squad also didn’t get a car into today’s shoot-out, with the best of its cars in 12th place (Rick Kelly/Owen Kelly). The other Jack Daniel’s Racing-supported car is well down in 27th.
Brad Jones Racing dominated the headlines yesterday, with Jason Bright (Trading Post Racing) taking provisional pole and Jason Richards (Team BOC) crashing heavily. Today, Bright dropped to eighth place while the #8 Richards car will start from pit lane.
Starting order; Supercheap Auto Bathurst 100; Mount Panorama
| 1 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG | 2:07.5377* |
| 2 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VE | 2:07.6201 |
| 3 | 1 | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VE | 2:07.7226 |
| 4 | 33 | Lee Holdsworth | Holden Commodore VE | 2:07.7674 |
| 5 | 2 | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VE | 2:07.8489 |
| 6 | 22 | Will Davison | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.0379 |
| 7 | 18 | James Courtney | Ford Falcon FG | 2:08.1665 |
| 8 | 14 | Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.3979 |
| 9 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.7361 |
| 10 | 55 | Paul Dumbrell | Ford Falcon FG | 2:08.9597 |
| 11 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Ford Falcon FG | 2:07.9635 |
| 12 | 15 | Rick Kelly | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.0556 |
| 13 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | Ford Falcon FG | 2:08.0656 |
| 14 | 6 | Steven Richards | Ford Falcon FG | 2:08.1161 |
| 15 | 34 | Michael Caruso | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.2907 |
| 16 | 39 | Russell Ingall | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.3541 |
| 17 | 19 | Jonathon Webb | Ford Falcon FG | 2:08.3753 |
| 18 | 4 | Alex Davison | Ford Falcon FG | 2:08.4052 |
| 19 | 11 | Jason Bargwanna | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.4550 |
| 20 | 3 | Tony D’Alberto | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.5508 |
| 21 | 24 | Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.6359 |
| 22 | 21 | Karl Reindler | Holden Commodore VE | 2:08.8156 |
| 23 | 12 | Dean Fiore | Ford Falcon FG | 2:08.8886 |
| 24 | 10 | Andrew Thompson | Holden Commodore VE | 2:09.0272 |
| 25 | 47 | Tim Slade | Ford Falcon FG | 2:09.0784 |
| 26 | 30 | Nathan Pretty | Holden Commodore VE | 2:09.1773 |
| 27 | 7 | Todd Kelly | Holden Commodore VE | 2:09.3223 |
| 28 | 16 | Tony Ricciardello | Holden Commodore VE | 2:10.4957 |
| 29 | 44 | G.Emery/M.Zukanovic | Holden Commodore VE | 2:11.5023 |
| EXC | 27 | Damian Assaillit | Ford Falcon BF | 2:07.5377* |
| – | 8 | Jason Richards | Holden Commodore VE | – |
