R5S QUAL - Johnson's men march towards pole
8/6/2001 17:42 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
Dick Johnson claimed sole possession of the provisional front row today, in qualifying for this weekend’s GMC 400 blockbuster on the streets of Canberra.
Johnson’s men, Paul Radisich and son Steven, will anchor tomorrow morning’s grid-determining Top Fifteen Shootout after setting the fastest times in this afternoon’s wet and wintry 55-minute qualifying battle.
Radisich was more than half a second quicker than his team-mate, clocking a 1:43.27 minute flier – decimating last year’s qualifying mark.
“The Rat”, who needed just three hot laps to secure provisional pole, hopes it is the start of a mid-year championship revival.
"I didn’t expect to be that much faster than the others,” he said. “The changes we made to the front end of the car suited and we were able to put in some good times.
"It’s a tight track and to win we will need a little bit of luck and, dare I say it after the year I have had, consistency."
Steven Johnson was similarly pleased: "Last year Canberra was a real turning point for me when I scored my first podium and started to believe in my ability a bit more, so it is nice to come back this year and start pretty well.”
Both qualifying sessions were combined due to the constant threat of rain, though final qualifying was a largely dry affair.
The top 17 cars all bettered the short-lived qualifying record, the top eight within a second of each other.
Glenn Seton was third quickest behind the Shell Helix Falcons, ahead of Mark Skaife and Marcos Ambrose.
Ambrose is one of many Canberra debutants, but the challenge hasn’t phased the impressive Stone Brothers rookie.
"I studied all the team’s data from 2000 and watched the video of the race a few times, then I drove the hire car around it for a ‘sighter’ when I got here and it has helped today," he said.
The all-important top fifteen includes a few surprises.
Paul Morris easily achieved his best qualifying performance of the year, claiming a spot on the provisional third row. The two Camerons, McLean and McConville, will also participate in tomorrow’s shootout after setting the 13th and 14th fastest times respectively.
Steven Ellery was satisfied with eleventh, preferring to nurse the tyres he’ll use in tomorrow’s first race. “I just put my feet up and watched a bunch of other guys put miles into their tyres," he said.
Defending champion Steven Richards snuck into pole contention with a last-gasp flier. He’ll sweep the track for his shootout combatants in 15th.
Championship leader Jason Bright will not partake in tomorrow morning’s activities, struggling to 17th on the grid.
John Bowe (“We lost the clutch early in the session and I had to drive without it on the down-changes”), Jason Bargwanna (recovering from a heavy shunt in practice) and David Besnard also failed to book a shootout birth.
Mark Larkham will start from the rear of grid after sitting out qualifying. The Queenslander’s ICS SmartCar Falcon sustained serious injury after clouting the concrete at turn eight during the second practice session.
The qualifying shootout at 11am tomorrow morning will determine grid positions for the opening 25-lap encounter at 2:30pm. Rain is predicted to stay away.
**QUALIFYING - TOP FIFTEEN**
1st PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon [1:43.2704min]
2nd STEVEN JOHNSON (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon [1:43.8316]
3rd GLENN SETON (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon [1:43.8426]
4th MARK SKAIFE (Holden Racing Team) - VX Commodore [1:43.8919]
5th MARCOS AMBROSE (Pirtek Racing) - AU Falcon [1:44.0667]
6th PAUL MORRIS (Big Kev Racer) - VT Commodore [1:44.1644]
7th CRAIG LOWNDES (Gibson Motorsport) - AU Falcon [1:44.2608]
8th TODD KELLY (K-Mart Racing Team) - VX Commodore [1:44.2612]
9th RUSSELL INGALL (Castrol Perkins Race Team) - VX Commodore [1:44.3244]
10th GARTH TANDER (Valvoline Cummins Repco Team) - VX Commodore [1:44.3245]
11th STEVEN ELLERY (Super Cheap Auto Racing) - AU Falcon [1:44.3483]
12th GREG MURPHY (K-Mart Racing Team) - VX Commodore [1:44.3921]
13th CAMERON McLEAN (Greenfield Mowers Racing) - AU Falcon [1:44.4722]
14th CAMERON McCONVILLE (Lansvale Smash Repairs) - VX Commodore [1:44.4879]
15th STEVEN RICHARDS (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon [1:44.7029]
For complete practice/qualifying results:
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?10/06/2001.CANB
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