Winterbottom takes scorching pole position

Mark Winterbottom will start from pole position after a mega lap in the top 10 shootout before today’s Race 12 of the V8 Supercars Championship at Hidden Valley Raceway.

The Orrcon Steel FPR driver locked a brake into turn one but recovered magnificently to post a 1m09.1697s just 0.0052s ahead of TeamVodafone’s Jamie Whincup.

Whincup, provisionally third, overcame some engine dramas from qualifying proper to set a faultless lap that was barely beaten by Winterbottom.

Whincup and Winterbottom on the front row continues the pair’s battle from last year at Hidden Valley where they shared the race wins.

Shane van Gisbergen (SP Tools Racing) will start from third place, ahead of the ever-improving Steve Johnson (Jim Beam Racing).

Tim Slade (Lucky 7 Racing) picked up a number of places and will start fifth, as did Lee Holdsworth (Fujitsu Racing), who ended provisional qualifying in 10th place.

Craig Lowndes (TeamVodafone) with start seventh from Greg Murphy (Pepsi Max Crew).

Steve Owen lost time at turn four when he slid wide, missed the apex and lost too much time. The VIP Petfoods driver will start ninth.

Paul Dumbrell (The Bottle-O Racing) will start from 10th place after he out-broke himself at the end of the front straight on his hot lap. He did not complete the lap.

Race 12 will start at 3.35pm local time.- Hidden Valley

RESULTS: Top-10 Shootout

Video Highlights of Qualifying & the Top-10 Shootout

Mark Winterbottom talks about his pole lap

V8 Darwin Saturday qualifying – Mark Winterbottom by speedcafe

See below for Speedcafe.com’s Hidden Valley Race Guide