RYAN WOOD has sensationally stolen pole position for round 2 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series, a one-lap flyer at the end of the session enough to put the young Kiwi on top at Queensland Raceway.
A late red flag in the 20-minute qualifying session – held in near-night conditions at the Ipswich circuit – set up a one-lap dash to decide the top spot with Thomas Sargent holding sway by less than 0.1 seconds as cars returned to the track.
While Sargent, who finished second in the opening round of the series in Sydney, was unable to improve, Round 1 winner Wood did and turned an 0.03s deficit into a 0.06s advantage to secure back-to-back pole positions.
It was pretty stressful there with the rain coming down, but the boys made the right call to put me straight through into the pit lane, so kudos to them,” commented Wood. “Because then I had a clear track to punch on and get that fast lap. Tom’s been the quickest car all day, so overnight we should just have a look at the data and myself, as I’ve struggled a bit earlier today.”
Sargent will start race one from second on the grid alongside the young Kiwi star, as he did at Round 1, having not been able to improve on his final flying lap.
Lachlan Bloxom qualified third, just 0.3 seconds behind the duelling pair on the front row, while Sam Shahin was fourth outright and first of the Morris Pro-Am runners.
Madeline Stewart qualified fifth in a personal-best effort from the Gold Coast-based New Zealander while Brett Boulton was sixth and second in Morris Pro-Am.
The top-10 was completed by Jason Miller, Aaron Shields, Tom Taplin – who has shifted into the Pro class commencing at this weekend’s Queensland round – and newcomer Brad Carr.
The Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia field returns for two races tomorrow, both to be broadcast live on Stan Sports.
Race 1 ( 14 Laps ) commences at 11:15am (local time) while Race 2 – another sprint – starts at 2:10pm.
The 40-minute Jim Richards’ Enduro Trophy race concludes the weekend on Sunday morning
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