James Golding has been given a four-spot grid penalty after impeding Will Brown in the second stage of knockout qualifying at Hidden Valley.
Golding qualified an impressive seventh in the 10-minute final qualifying run, joined by team-mate Tim Slade to see both PremiAir Racing Chevrolet Camaros provisionally lock out the fourth row.
The penalty means Golding will start this afternoon’s Race 13 in Darwin in 11th, promoting championship leader and Brown’s team-mate Brodie Kostecki to 10th. It means that Slade will inherit Golding’s seventh on the grid.
Golding had was 16th-fastest in the opening segment, making the top 20 to be sent through to the next stage, where he was fourth-fastest to join the final 10-minute bout where he looked to have secured seventh on the grid.
Yet Erebus Motorsport’s Brown didn’t make it past the second phase, where the impediment from Golding saw the #9 Coca-Cola Camaro qualify 19th, ahead of only Tickford Racing’s James Courtney in the segment.
The penalty still sees PremiAir with some of its best qualifying positions of the season, with Slade’s now seventh-place on the grid and Golding’s 11th.
“We’ve been making improvements ever since we rolled the car out of the truck,” said Slade. It wasn’t that flash, and we’ve kept working at it – Geoff [Slater, PremiAir technical director] and the boys have done a great job and keep improving, and it’s the most comfortable and the best the car’s been.”
PremiAir boss Peter Xiberras also set the fastest pass at last night’s Nitro Up North at Hidden Valley, with the only sub-four second pass in the Top Fuel category.
“Yeah, he’s definitely he’s leading the way. So yeah, we definitely had to step up today. That’s for sure,” said Slade.
Cam Waters will start Race 13 from pole position, his first of the 2023 season, which starts at 15:25 local time/15:55 AEST.
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