Whincup fastest gun for shootout
JAMIE Whincup has defied a challenge from David Reynolds and Scott McLaughlin to claim provisional pole for the Bathurst 1000.
The Red Bull Racing ace squeaked out the fastest time in qualifying, charting a 2min 04.1093sec lap at Mt Panorama.
A helter-skelter session saw several changes at the top of the charts, with Whincup, Reynolds, McLaughlin and James Courtney all duelling for bragging rights.
Whincup led when the session was red flagged due to Jack le Brocq’s excursion off the bitumen at turn one.
When it resumed, McLaughlin stole provisional pole back with a scorching lap reminiscent of his polewinning drive last year.
Whincup said he was in two minds about whether to go hard after the break.
“I’m so glad we went out for the last one or we would have been pipped,” he said.
“That was intense . . . we were hanging on the edge.
“That’s by far the quickest I’ve been round this place in a Supercar. “I couldn’t be happier.” Reynolds was on track to snatch provisional pole only to fade in the final sector to finish second.
All three are yet to set their grid positions, but booked the marquee slots in today’s Top Ten Shootout.
Craig Lowndes, on his last visit to Bathurst as a full-time driver, also did so with the sixth-fastest time.
But Chaz Mostert, Fabian Coulthard and Rick Kelly missed out on the shootout, which will set a grid for tomorrow’s 1000km classic.
No Nissans and only two Falcons — of McLaughlin and Cam Waters — will take their place in the shootout.