Bathurst 1000: McLaughlin tops crash-affected qualifying
Scott McLaughlin will run last in tomorrow’s Top 10 Shootout at Mount Panorama, while Jamie Whincup failed to make the Top 10 and will start the Great Race from 11th.
Photo by: Daniel Kalisz / Motorsport Images
Fresh off the back of setting a new lap record this morning, McLaughlin first jumped to the top of the qualifying time sheet with a 2m04.457s under 20 minutes into the session.
While that time would have been good enough for provisional pole, McLaughlin didn’t stop there. With 15 minutes to go he improved to a 2m04.318s, before sealing the deal with a 2m04.225s on his final run.
David Reynolds finished up second, despite a scare with a red flag at the end of the session. While he’d effectively booked his Shootout spot with a 2m04.976s early in the session, he almost lost his best lap – a 2m04.473s – when James Moffat hit the wall with seconds left on the clock.
Luckily Reynolds had crossed the line, bumping himself down to the classy end of the Shootout running order.
While it ultimately didn’t affect Reynolds, the red flag did change the complexion of the Top 10. Moffat himself had effectively secured a Shootout spot, sitting ninth before tagging the wall on the way out of The Dipper.
Triggering the red flag meant he lost his quickest time, and ended the session classified down in 22nd.
The Garry Rogers Motorsport will also have a late-night repair on its hands, with Moffat’s Commodore bouncing off both sides of the wall as the shunt played out.
The silver lining for the GRM crew was that Moffat’s exclusion from the Top 10 promoted Garth Tander into 10th, sneaking him into the Shootout.
Moffat’s crash also affected Fabian Coulthard, who had gone purple in the first sector of his final lap. The red flag meant he had to abort the lap, although he still booked a Shootout spot with the sixth fastest time.
Leading Coulthard was a trio of Prodrive Fords, Chaz Mostert leading Cam Waters and Mark Winterbottom.
Shane van Gisbergen was seventh fastest, and the only Triple Eight driver to make the Shootout. His Red Bull Holden teammate Jamie Whincup – considered a pre-race favourite – failed to make the Shootout at all, qualifying 12th before being promoted to 11th after Moffat lost his lap.
Craig Lowndes, meanwhile, will start the race way down in 19th.
James Courtney put a Walkinshaw Commodore in the Shootout with the eighth best time, while Jason Bright’s ninth made sure all four Prodrive Fords made it into tomorrow’s one-lap dash.
Not a single Nissan made the cut, Rick Kelly the squad’s best performer in 12th.
Cla | # | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 17 | Alexandre Prémat Scott McLaughlin |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 2'04.2254 | |
2 | 9 | David Reynolds Luke Youlden |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'04.4730 | 0.2476 |
3 | 55 | Steven Owen Chaz Mostert |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 2'04.5304 | 0.3050 |
4 | 6 | Richie Stanaway Cameron Waters |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 2'04.5958 | 0.3704 |
5 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom Dean Canto |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 2'04.7857 | 0.5603 |
6 | 12 | Tony D'Alberto Fabian Coulthard |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 2'04.8955 | 0.6701 |
7 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen Matt Campbell |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.0225 | 0.7971 |
8 | 22 | James Courtney Jack Perkins |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.0417 | 0.8163 |
9 | 56 | Jason Bright Garry Jacobson |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 2'05.0804 | 0.8550 |
10 | 33 | Garth Tander James Golding |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.1094 | 0.8840 |
11 | 88 | Jamie Whincup Paul Dumbrell |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.1686 | 0.9432 |
12 | 15 | Rick Kelly David Wall |
Nissan Altima | 2'05.1996 | 0.9742 |
13 | 23 | Michael Caruso Dean Fiore |
Nissan Altima | 2'05.2503 | 1.0249 |
14 | 8 | Nick Percat Macauley Jones |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.2846 | 1.0592 |
15 | 20 | Todd Kelly Jack Le Brocq |
Nissan Altima | 2'05.2974 | 1.0720 |
16 | 19 | Jonathon Webb Will Davison |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.3840 | 1.1586 |
17 | 18 | Lee Holdsworth Karl Reindler |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.4379 | 1.2125 |
18 | 14 | Tim Slade Ash Walsh |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.5562 | 1.3308 |
19 | 888 | Steven Richards Craig Lowndes |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.5625 | 1.3371 |
20 | 2 | Warren Luff Scott Pye |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.6182 | 1.3928 |
21 | 99 | Dale Wood Chris Pither |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.6414 | 1.4160 |
22 | 34 | James Moffat Richard Muscat |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.6430 | 1.4176 |
23 | 78 | Simona de Silvestro David Russell |
Nissan Altima | 2'05.9423 | 1.7169 |
24 | 21 | Tim Blanchard Todd Hazelwood |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'05.9703 | 1.7449 |
25 | 3 | Aaren Russell Taz Douglas |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'06.4233 | 2.1979 |
26 | 62 | Alex Davison Alex Rullo |
Holden Commodore VF | 2'07.4801 | 3.2547 |
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