R1 QUAL - HRT brilliant in Clipsal qualifying
15/3/2002 23:00 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
The Holden Racing Team has begun the V8 Supercar season in frighteningly emphatic fashion, with Mark Skaife and Jason Bright qualifying on the front row of the grid for this weekend’s Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.
The crack factory unit was incomparably brilliant today, dominating practice and qualifying to never look like starting from anywhere bar the front row.
Bright sat atop the time sheets with a flawless hot lap in the top 15 shootout, only to watch his teammate, the final runner, slice more than four-tenths off his time to snatch pole position.
"It was a reasonably good lap, I didn't do a very job in the first sector but I caught up later,” the defending champion said, who now leads the V8 Supercar championship with the 20 points earned for pole.
“The car is as good as a race car as it is as a qualifying car, so all bodes well."
The opening day of the Clipsal 500, which drew more than 45,000 spectators, was marred by a horror smash from Paul Radisich in the second practice session, which saw the driver hospitalised with back injuries and the car all but destroyed.
Radisich smacked the modified turn eight wall at more than 240km/hr. On-board telemetry recorded the impact at 2.3g.
"I'm not really sure what happened, I was on a good lap and maybe came in there too hot," Radisich said. “The car suddenly got away from me and I ran out of road before I could gather it together."
Radisich’s hospitalisation was a precautionary move, according to the Dick Johnson Racing outfit. He was released following x-rays and is expected to be fit tomorrow.
At best, he will start the race from the rear of grid in a car the team are hopeful can be salvaged and rebuilt tonight. Damage is estimated at $70,000.
Marcos Ambrose, 12th in qualifying, jumped into third with a typically slick shootout performance.
“I think I could have pushed it a little harder and maybe put it on the front row, but I don’t think we could have gotten to the pole time,” Ambrose said.
Garth Tander and the Garry Rogers-led outfit turned an “ugly” practice car into a shootout rocket, with Tander grabbing a spot on the second row.
Briggs Motorsport's Max Wilson set the fifth fastest shootout time, backing up his fifth in qualifying – a stunning championship debut for the Brazilian.
"Today was a totally different day for us. Before today I didn't know where I could be, it seems to me the top 15 or 20 can be anywhere it is so competitive, so we are happy," said Wilson, who will share the third row with 2001 vice-champion, Russell Ingall.
John Bowe, aboard the OzEmail Falcon that finished second at Bathurst, put the team into its first ever shootout before clocking the seventh fastest time in the one lap dash.
Bowe said there’s plenty more where that came from: “I am delighted to have got into the shootout, but to be honest I was too conservative in my drive – I think we could have done a little better if we had really attacked it.”
Bowe’s seventh was 27 positions higher than teammate Brad Jones, who will start from the last row of the grid in a brand-new Ford plagued with electrical problems.
Craig Lowndes was eighth, ahead of Larry Perkins, Simon Wills and lone Shell Helix shootout campaigner, Steven Johnson.
Steven Richards lost plenty of ground in the shootout, falling eight positions to 12th. Still, all three Castrol Commodores qualified for the shootout in an ominous team performance.
Greg Murphy looked set to start his K-Mart Commodore at the pointy end after qualifying third, but the Kiwi slapped a wall early on his shootout journey and will start from 15th.
"I'm annoyed with myself," Murphy said. "We came a long way today, and by the time the shootout was here we had a jet. I just went in a bit too quick.”
The weekend will be a gruelling test of endurance for the capacity grid – 500km of flat-out racing in oppressive 30-plus degree heat. The first 250km (78-lap) leg goes green at 2:00pm local time.
Qualifying times: click here
Top 15 shootout times: click here
|
|
