FHOLDEN: Kelly's Pole With Pack Right Behind

<pre> 2001 Holden Australian Drivers Championship Round 7 Qualifying - Mallala, 11th August 2001 http://www.formulaholden.com

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Despite missing yesterday's two practice sessions, 2001 Gold Star champion elect Rick Kelly scored his fifth pole position this afternoon at a gloriously sunny Mallala Motorsport Park. Kelly flew into Adelaide last night after spending the day testing at Calder with the K Mart TWR V8Supercar team, and took some time to readjust to the dynamics of his Reynard Formula Holden, but eventually snared pole by 0.2s from Brenton Ramsay.

Ramsay, having his first run since last year, was impressively fast and won a good battle with Alan Gurr and Christian Murchison for the remaining front-row spot with a time a similar 0.2s quicker than Gurr. The latter having his first Formula Holden outing on the technical 2.6 kilometre Mallala circuit and just holding an oversteering Murchison by 0.1s. Peter Hill continued his recent strong form with a solid fifth ahead of America's Emerson Newton-John, who was back behind the wheel of the Hocking Motorsport 96D having never before seen the circuit.

Terry Clearihan wound up seventh, claiming the Silver Star pole in the process, ahead of the fiercely squabbling pair of Mark Ellis and Ian Peters. Peters will need to get by Ellis in tomorrow's first race if he is to challenge Clearihan for the SS title, with the Canberra driver currently four points ahead with four races remaining. Rohan Carrig will line up tenth for the first eighteen-lap race ahead of Roger Oakeshott and Chris Hocking. Oakeshott failing to score a time with a drive-belt failure on his out lap and Hocking saving his car for the races after plans to have Japan's Akihiro Asai in the car faltered at the last minute.

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Qualifying Results

Pos Car Driver Vehicle Laps Fastest...Lap Gap

1     2  Rick Kelly (VIC)         Reynard 94D  18   7 1:02.9604*
2     9  Brenton Ramsay (SA)      Reynard 95D  18  16 1:03.2040  0:00.2436
3    11  Alan Gurr (NSW)          Reynard 94D  16  12 1:03.4078  0:00.4474
4    75  Christian Murchison VIC  Reynard 97D  17  16 1:03.5522  0:00.5918
5    66  Peter Hill (VIC)         Reynard 95D  17  12 1:04.1335  0:01.1731
6    76  Emerson Newton-John USA  Reynard 97D  15  14 1:04.6330  0:01.6726
7    27  Terry Clearihan (ACT)    Ralt RT23    14   6 1:05.9769  0:03.0165
8    17  Mark Ellis (VIC)         Reynard 92D  17  16 1:06.2672  0:03.3068
9    24  Ian Peters (SA)          Reynard 91D  17  15 1:06.2708  0:03.3104
10   49  Rohan Carrig (VIC)       Reynard 98D  15  14 1:08.8075  0:05.8471
11   28  Roger Oakeshott (SA)     Reynard 97D  1    1 1:13.9456  0:10.9852

Fastest Lap Av.Speed Is 149kph Current Lap Record Is 1:02.5700 Set On 07/08/1994 By Paul Stokell (SA) In A Birrana Reynard R=under lap record by greatest margin, r=under lap record, *=fastest lap time

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