INDY QUAL - Ingall jumps to pole in Surfers Shootout
13/10/2000 21:31 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - Russell Ingall jumped from fifth to grab pole position in the space of one lap in qualifying for this weekend’s Honda Indy 300 support races at Surfers Paradise today.
Ingall qualified his Castrol Commodore in fifth position in this morning’s qualifying session, before grabbing his first pole position of the year in the twilight Top Ten Shootout late this afternoon.
Ingall clocked a 1:53.08 minute time on his hot lap, slicing more than a second of Garth Tander’s record 1999 time.
Defending Indy champ, Paul Radisich will start alongside Ingall after setting a time one tenth slower than that of his Castrol rival.
Despite topping time sheets throughout the weekend, including this morning’s qualifying session, HRT’s Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes failed to capitalise on their speed when it mattered. They will share the second row.
Local Ford drivers Mark Larkham and Steven Ellery revel in the concrete jungle that is the daunting 4.3km Surfers Paradise street circuit. They will start from the third row of the grid tomorrow.
Steven Johnson – who is this weekend also competing for an Indy Lites test session in the Honda Young Gun Challenge – will start from seventh. Johnson had previously held the second fastest time in the earlier qualifying session.
Both Johnson and Paul Radisich are both campaigning DJR’s Bathurst machines.
Heartbreak for the Valvoline-Cummins team earlier this afternoon when Garth Tander severely damaged his Bathurst Commodore in a turn 12 shunt early in qualifying.
Without setting a time today, Tander withdrew from this weekend’s competition, and the race is now on to have the car he will share with Jason Bargwanna ready in time for next month’s Bathurst FAI 1000.
Paul Morris also damaged his car this morning, and rather than risk his spare VS Commodore, has opted out of the weekend.
The diminished 25-car field will tackle the Surfers streets in two sprint races tomorrow. The third and final race will be held as a curtain-raiser to the Honda 300 on Sunday afternoon.
**TOP TEN SHOOTOUT RESULTS**
1st RUSSELL INGALL (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore [1:53.08min]
2nd PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon [1:53.22]
3rd MARK SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore [1:53.32]
4th CRAIG LOWNDES (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore [1:53.62]
5th MARK LARKHAM (Mitre 10 Racing) - AU Falcon [1:53.83]
6th STEVEN ELLERY (Super Cheap Auto Racing) - AU Falcon [1:54.07]
7th STEVEN JOHNSON (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon [1:54.36]
8th GREG MURPHY (K-Mart Racing) - VT Commodore [1:54.51]
9th TONY LONGHURST (Caltex Havoline Racing) - AU Falcon [1:54.66]
10th STEVEN RICHARDS (K-Mart Racing) - VT Commodore [1:54.80]
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