Perth Supercars: McLaughlin pips Mostert for pole
Scott McLaughlin backed up his Saturday race win by edging Chaz Mostert for pole for Sunday’s 83-lap encounter.
Photo by: Daniel Kalisz / Motorsport Images
The DJR Team Penske driver played his hand early, jumping to the top with a lap record-breaking 54.573s on his second run on green tyres midway through the session.
He then opted not to have a third stab at a lap in the closing minutes, the time holding on by just 0.04s as Mostert made a gain on that final run.
“I was a bit worried, but thankfully it held on,” said McLaughlin.
“I felt that that lap was basically all I could get out of it, and if anyone beat me good on them. I feel like the car is even better than yesterday, so we’ll see how we go [in the race].”
Mostert’s teammate Mark Winterbottom made gains on that final run too, missing out on a front row slot by just 0.004s, while Shane van Gisbergen was just 0.03s fourth back in fourth.
Fabian Coulthard struggled to match his DJR Team Penske teammate, qualifying fifth with a 54.801s, with Jamie Whincup rounding out the third row.
Jason Bright enjoyed a solid session in his Prodrive Ford with seventh spot, ahead of Will Davison, Rick Kelly, and David Reynolds.
Craig Lowndes had a tough session, ending up just 18th quickest, while HSV Racing driver James Courtney was left fuming with another poor performance that left him down in 20th.
“It’s embarrassing,” said the 2010 series champ.
“We’re calling ourselves a top level team and we’re qualifying in the 20s. It’s very embarrassing for me, and I’m sure for all the guys here.
“Something has to happen.”
Cla | # | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 17 | Scott McLaughlin | Ford Falcon FG-X | 54.5730 | |
2 | 55 | Chaz Mostert | Ford Falcon FG-X | 54.6209 | 0.0479 |
3 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG-X | 54.6243 | 0.0513 |
4 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore VF | 54.6568 | 0.0838 |
5 | 12 | Fabian Coulthard | Ford Falcon FG-X | 54.8016 | 0.2286 |
6 | 88 | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VF | 54.8022 | 0.2292 |
7 | 56 | Jason Bright | Ford Falcon FG-X | 54.8636 | 0.2906 |
8 | 19 | Will Davison | Holden Commodore VF | 55.0063 | 0.4333 |
9 | 15 | Rick Kelly | Nissan Altima | 55.0121 | 0.4391 |
10 | 9 | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore VF | 55.0274 | 0.4544 |
11 | 8 | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore VF | 55.0839 | 0.5109 |
12 | 2 | Scott Pye | Holden Commodore VF | 55.0998 | 0.5268 |
13 | 18 | Lee Holdsworth | Holden Commodore VF | 55.1500 | 0.5770 |
14 | 6 | Cameron Waters | Ford Falcon FG-X | 55.1713 | 0.5983 |
15 | 34 | James Moffat | Holden Commodore VF | 55.1883 | 0.6153 |
16 | 33 | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VF | 55.2179 | 0.6449 |
17 | 23 | Michael Caruso | Nissan Altima | 55.2546 | 0.6816 |
18 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VF | 55.2802 | 0.7072 |
19 | 14 | Tim Slade | Holden Commodore VF | 55.2932 | 0.7202 |
20 | 22 | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VF | 55.3239 | 0.7509 |
21 | 7 | Todd Kelly | Nissan Altima | 55.4050 | 0.8320 |
22 | 78 | Simona de Silvestro | Nissan Altima | 55.4652 | 0.8922 |
23 | 62 | Alex Rullo | Holden Commodore VF | 55.6209 | 1.0479 |
24 | 21 | Tim Blanchard | Holden Commodore VF | 55.6302 | 1.0572 |
25 | 99 | Dale Wood | Holden Commodore VF | 55.6917 | 1.1187 |
26 | 3 | Matt Brabham | Holden Commodore VF | 56.6186 | 2.0456 |
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