Craig Lowndes will be the last man out in the Top 10 Shootout after setting the fastest time in qualifying for Race 13 at Hidden Valley.
Lowndes narrowly undercut team-mate Shane van Gisbergen’s qualifying record from yesterday, stopping the clock at 1:06.259s.
The TeamVortex Holden had been 14th in the order before setting his time with two minutes left in the session.
Rick Kelly continued Nissan’s strong form by jumping to second in the dying seconds, bumping Chaz Mostert to third.
“The guys did a fantastic job overnight,” said Lowndes after the 20 minute session.
“We had a good car yesterday but we didn’t have a fast car.
“(But) as the day goes on it’s getting hotter, so I’m not sure if I’m at the right end of the top 10 (Shootout order).”
Completing the Shootout field are Tim Slade, Michael Caruso, Scott McLaughlin, Van Gisbergen, Mark Winterbottom, Jamie Whincup and Todd Kelly.
Both DJR Team Penske Fords failed to make the top 10, with Scott Pye 11th and Fabian Coulthard 16th.
The Kiwi endured a messy session, struggling with a mechanical issue aboard the #12 Falcon.
“I had no adjustment in my front anti-roll bar because the handle had snapped off,” he said.
“You’re trying to tune the car on the run but I had no ability to tune it with the problems I was facing.”
Further back the Holden Racing Team’s horror weekend continued, with James Courtney and Garth Tander managing just 20th and 21st respectively.
The Top 10 Shootout will take place from 1045 local time.
Result: Virgin Australia Supercars Championship CrownBet Darwin Triple Crown Race 13 Qualifying
| 1 | TeamVortex | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.0259RS | |
| 2 | Sengled Motorsport | Rick Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:06.1400 S | 0:00.1141 |
| 3 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Chaz Mostert | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:06.2011 S | 0:00.1752 |
| 4 | Freightliner Racing | Tim Slade | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.2103 S | 0:00.1844 |
| 5 | Nissan Motorsport | Michael Caruso | Nissan Altima | 1:06.2117 S | 0:00.1858 |
| 6 | Wilson Security Racing GRM | Scott McLaughlin | Volvo S60 | 1:06.2796 S | 0:00.2537 |
| 7 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Shane Van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.2806 S | 0:00.2547 |
| 8 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:06.3022 S | 0:00.2763 |
| 9 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.3321 S | 0:00.3062 |
| 10 | carsales Racing | Todd Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:06.3579 S | 0:00.3320 |
| 11 | DJR Team Penske | Scott Pye | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:06.3847 S | 0:00.3588 |
| 12 | Team Darrell Lea STIX | Will Davison | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.3912 S | 0:00.3653 |
| 13 | Team Cooldrive | Tim Blanchard | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.4028 S | 0:00.3769 |
| 14 | Erebus Motorsport Penrite | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.4424 S | 0:00.4165 |
| 15 | ABRO/Repair Management Aust | Andre Heimgartner | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.4610 S | 0:00.4351 |
| 16 | DJR Team Penske | Fabian Coulthard | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:06.4647 S | 0:00.4388 |
| 17 | Wilson Security Racing GRM | James Moffat | Volvo S60 | 1:06.4961 S | 0:00.4702 |
| 18 | Team BOC | Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.5004 S | 0:00.4745 |
| 19 | Preston Hire Racing | Lee Holdsworth | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.5222 S | 0:00.4963 |
| 20 | Holden Racing Team | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.5435 S | 0:00.5176 |
| 21 | Holden Racing Team | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.5507 S | 0:00.5248 |
| 22 | ABRO/Repair Management Aust | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore VF | 1:06.6076 S | 0:00.5817 |
| 23 | Monster Energy Racing | Cameron Waters | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:06.6121 H | 0:00.5862 |
| 24 | Super Black Racing | Chris Pither | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:06.6494 S | 0:00.6235 |
| 25 | GB Galvanizing Racing | Dale Wood | Nissan Altima | 1:06.7700 S | 0:00.7441 |
| 26 | Plus Fitness Racing | Aaren Russell | Holden Commodore VF | 1:07.0146 S | 0:00.9887 |
Discussion about this post