Triple Eight racing pair Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes will start from pole poition after a win to Whincup in the final sprint race today.
In a confusing two race qualifying format Whincup led from the front to outlast Dick Johnson Racing’s Will Davison, however on aggregate points between the two 14-lap races the HSV Dealer Team Commodore of Rick Kelly and Paul Radisich will share the front row. James Courtney and David Besnard will start from third position for the 500 kms race that replaces the traditional Sandown 500.
The convoluted rules stipulated that it was up to teams to decide which race – A or B – to call their drivers in for single compulsory pit stop. Whincup’s team-mate Lowndes took the pitstop in the Race A to hand Whincup the advantage for the Race B.
“(For) the second race today you want to be as high up as possible in case you end up on equal points,” Lowndes explained.
“That’s a factor. Our primary target was to be in the top 10” (in Race A). said Lowndes.“We ended up 11th so we’re not far off our target.”
With the public and media focus purely on tomorrow’s 500 Kms feature race today’s contrived, made for TV two race qualifying had more in common with the World Wrestling Federation than any legitimate motorsport.
The public also made their feelings known about the format and the shift from Sandown with a disappointing crowd although an official number is yet to be released.