R2 QUAL - Dumbrell half a second too good for Brede
4/5/2002 17:57 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
Paul Dumbrell will take a psychological edge over championship leader Dale Brede into tomorrow’s second round of the Konica V8 Supercar Series at Phillip Island Raceway after winning pole position.
The Holden-powered teenager edged out title counterpart Brede by half a second to claim his second consecutive pole.
"This is my second Konica V8 Supercar pole position at this circuit and my second pole position this year. Fingers crossed it will be second time lucky,” said Dumbrell after clocking the one-minute 34.72sec fastest lap.
"It is great to be on pole again. Our times are not as good as last year but I think the new Dunlop tyres have a lot to do with that."
Not as good, indeed. Dumbrell was more than two seconds outside his 2001 pole time on a rare rain-free Phillip Island day.
Round one winner Brede was quickly on the pace this morning, topping the time sheets in the first practice session, but his Craig Harris-prepared Falcon didn’t respond to set-up changes before qualifying.
"We made a change to the car during the second practice session then changed it back for qualifying,” Brede said. “In hindsight we should have left it how it was.”
Brede holds a 30-point advantage over Dumbrell in the championship standings and is looking to consolidate his position in tomorrow’s three races.
"It is vital we have good race pace tomorrow,” he said. “We need to finish the three races in as good a position as possible and secure as many championship points as possible."
Matthew White was in a hurry, in more ways than one.
The 28-year-old flung his Commodore around the 4.4km circuit in a brief four-lap qualifying blast, securing a position on the second row, before being whisked off the island via a waiting helicopter to attend a wedding. James Bond, eat your heart out!
Veteran racer Greg Crick qualified fourth, but admitted keeping pace with the Konica young-guns won’t be easy tomorrow.
"We really need to find some speed overnight," he said. "We went for a different set-up to the ones we have been given by the Shell Helix Racing team and while it is easier to drive, we are having trouble getting power down through the corners.”
Harris was fifth in the Brisbane-based team's first in-house built car.
"The car is great," he said, “(but) it is probably the driver who is a bit slow.”
Fellow Queenslander Michael Simpson was sixth, ahead of Super Cheap Auto Racing’s Luke Youlden, making his Konica Series debut this weekend.
Terry Wyhoon, Kiwi Mark Porter and Imrie Motorsport’s Steve Owen also found a position in the top ten.
For qualifying results:
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?05/05/2002.PHIL.Q6
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