Darwin Supercars: Kelly storms to Saturday pole
Rick Kelly beat DJR Team Penske pair Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard to pole position for today’s opening Supercars race at Hidden Valley.
Photo by: Daniel Kalisz / Motorsport Images
With the track temperature on the rise, the key was getting a lap done early in the 20-minute session. Coulthard was first to jump to the top with a 1m05.775s, McLaughlin slotting in behind him with a 1m05.871s.
Rick Kelly then jumped both of the Penske Fords with a 1m05.711s, the time holding on to give the Nissan driver a somewhat surprising pole position.
“The lap was really okay,” said Kelly. “I clipped the kerb and I thought I’d blew it.
“To be first is a credit to the guys with the car, it’s on rails at the moment. We’ve got to put our heads down now and make sure it’s the same for the race.”
McLaughlin managed to improve on each run, but only enough to finish up in second with a 1m05.770s. Coulthard didn’t improve on that first run and ended up third, while David Reynolds kept his good form going with fourth.
Shane van Gisbergen had to improve late to grab fifth spot ahead of Nick Percat, while Chaz Mostert was Prodrive Racing’s best-placed driver in seventh.
Tim Slade capped off a good session for Brad Jones Racing with P8, while Jamie Whincup and Cam Waters rounded out the Top 10.
| Cla | # | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 |  Rick Kelly |
Nissan Altima | 1'05.7114 |
| 2 | 17 |  Scott McLaughlin |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 1'05.7705 |
| 3 | 12 | Fabian Coulthard |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 1'05.7755 |
| 4 | 9 | David Reynolds |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'05.8713 |
| 5 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'05.9527 |
| 6 | 8 | Nick Percat |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'05.9556 |
| 7 | 55 | Chaz Mostert |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 1'06.0091 |
| 8 | 14 | Tim Slade |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.0394 |
| 9 | 88 | Jamie Whincup |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.0464 |
| 10 | 6 | Cameron Waters |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 1'06.0468 |
| 11 | 18 | Lee Holdsworth |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.0651 |
| 12 | 7 | Todd Kelly |
Nissan Altima | 1'06.1234 |
| 13 | 34 | James Moffat |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.1354 |
| 14 | 21 | Tim Blanchard |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.1452 |
| 15 | 19 | Will Davison |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.1932 |
| 16 | 99 | Dale Wood |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.2337 |
| 17 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 1'06.2825 |
| 18 | 33 | Garth Tander |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.2870 |
| 19 | 888 | Craig Lowndes |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.3068 |
| 20 | 56 | Jason Bright |
Ford Falcon FG-X | 1'06.3453 |
| 21 | 22 | James Courtney |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.3523 |
| 22 | 23 | Michael Caruso |
Nissan Altima | 1'06.4175 |
| 23 | 2 | Scott Pye |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.4281 |
| 24 | 28 | Jack Le Brocq |
Nissan Altima | 1'06.4875 |
| 25 | 78 |  Simona de Silvestro |
Nissan Altima | 1'06.5093 |
| 26 | 4 | Macauley Jones |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.7082 |
| 27 | 62 | Alex Rullo |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.8440 |
| 28 | 3 | Cameron McConville |
Holden Commodore VF | 1'06.9881 |
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