Surprise provisional front row as rain persists
17/11/2000 13:15 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - Battlers Paul Weel and Greg Crick are surprise provisional pole-sitters after morning practice today – and could remain there if conditions at Mt Panorama continue to deteriorate.
Greg Crick surprised the paddock with a brisk 1:18.22 minute lap in the dying moments of this morning’s water-logged 90-minute practice session – twelve seconds quicker than yesterday’s fastest time.
The Toll Racing Falcon of Anthony Tratt and Alan Jones sit alongside the K & J Thermal Products Ford on the provisional front row, after 54-year-old Jones clocked a time 1.3 seconds slower than Crick.
As a dry line developed throughout the session, today’s times easily surpassed those of yesterday’s morning session held in inclement weather.
However, visibility is again proving a problem as conditions worsen, and will make it difficult for the frontrunners to run at a quicker pace in this afternoon’s official qualifying session.
If that’s the case, Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes will not start in tomorrow’s top ten qualifying shootout after being forced to watch their Thursday time slip away from pitlane with a split oil line. The No. 1 HRT Commodore currently holds the 33rd fastest time.
An incredible eight Fords lie in the provisional top ten, including the Mark Larkham/Alain Menu Falcon, Bowe and Richards' CAT Falcon, the race-favourite Paul Radisich/Jason Bright car, the DJR sister Falcon of Steven Johnson and Cameron McLean and the FTR lead car of Glenn Seton and Neil Crompton.
For Holden, only Paul Morris’ Big Kev Commodore and the Larry Perkins/Russell Ingall Castrol car will take part in tomorrow’s top ten run-off if, as many are predicting, this morning’s practice times stand as official qualifying results.
The Valvoline-Cummins Commodore of Garth Tander and Jason Bargwanna have work too, sitting outside the top ten in thirteenth position.
Qualifying will not be broken up into two groups as scheduled, but instead one 90 minute session will start at 1:05pm local time. Conditions are likely to worsen before tomorrow’s top ten shootout, forecasters predict.
**TOP TEN - PRACTICE**
1st CRICK/WEEL (K & J Thermal Products Racing) - AU Falcon [2:18.2251min]
2nd JONES/TRATT (Toll Racing) - AU Falcon [2:19.5359]
3rd LARKHAM/MENU (Mitre 10 Racing) - AU Falcon [2:19.6482]
4th JOHNSON/McLEAN (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon [2:20.2730]
5th BOWE/RICHARDS (CAT Racing) - AU Falcon [2:20.6556]
6th INGALL/PERKINS (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore [2:20.6834]
7th MORRIS/NEAL (Big Kev Racing) - VT Commodore [2:20.7576]
8th BRIGHT/RADISICIH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon [2:21.1025]
9th CROMPTON/SETON (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon [2:21.3038]
10th JONES/MEZERA (OzEmail Racing) - AU Falcon [2:21.4842]
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