Whincup scores pole in tight Top 10 Shootout

Jamie Whincup scored the Armor All Pole Award for Race 23 at the Castrol Gold Coast 600 in a thrilling Top 10 Shootout that saw the top four cars separated by just 0.14s.

The last man on track after topping qualifying this morning, Whincup’s 1:10.89s proved 0.09s quicker than team-mate Shane van Gisbergen.

Whincup had been slower to the end of the second sector but did enough in the final corners to score a 72nd career pole.

The six-time champion stepped up as he attempts to stop Van Gisbergen’s phenomenal run that has seen the Kiwi draw 160 points clear in the standings.

“I’m pretty happy with that,” beamed Whincup, whose co-driver Paul Dumbrell had to double-stack behind the pole-sitting Van Gisbergen/Alex Premat entry early in yesterday’s race.

“It’s such a gnarly little lap and to get it all right here is a good feeling.”

Van Gisbergen said that he struggled with tyre temperature early in his run.

“It was pretty average,” he said. “It’s hard to get the temp up in one lap.”

David Reynolds and Scott McLaughlin will share the second row having also held the fastest time through stages of the session.

McLaughlin was the first on track, setting a 1:11.03s that could not be beaten by the subsequent five drivers.

Reynolds was the one to finally knock off the Volvo, quipping that his Shootout lap had required “the right mix between risk and coffee”.

Craig Lowndes, Chaz Mostert, James Moffat, Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison filled fifth through ninth, while Garth Tander was 10th after triggering the kerb sensor in the beach chicane.

The Tander/Warren Luff Holden will start 20th thanks to a 10-place grid penalty for Tander’s collision with Fabian Coulthard yesterday.

“I just got to deep into the chicane,” said Tander of his Shootout error. “It’s just the way it goes.”

Winterbottom meanwhile came the closest to disaster as he wrestled with his Bottle-O Ford, narrowly avoiding the concrete at the exit of the beach chicane.

“We’re just struggling for grip,” he shrugged.

“When I lean on the car I’m either losing the front or the rear.”

The 300km Race 23 will get underway at 1425 local time.

Result: Virgin Australia Supercars Championship Castrol Gold Coast 600 Race 23 Grid