Van Gisbergen pips McLaughlin to provisional pole by 0.0001 sec
Holden’s Shane van Gisbergen has claimed provisional pole position ahead of the first Supercars race of 2017 at the Clipsal 500, beating Scott McLaughlin in the DJR Ford Falcon by a mere 0.0001 seconds.
“I went to the toilet before qualifying, maybe that was it! It’s not pole yet, but we’re in the Shootout. I’m feeling really good,” said van Gisbergen.
Nissan Motorsport driver Rick Kelly confirmed his strong pace from practice to claim third, 0.0801 seconds from Triple Eight Race Engineering driver Van Gisbergen on pole.
James Courtney claimed fourth on the grid, just 0.0063 seconds from Kelly, with former factory Ford team Prodrive Racing Australia driver Chaz Mostert rounding off the top five.
McLaughlin’s DJR Team Penske team-mate Fabian Coulthard claimed position six ahead of former champions Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom in positions seven and eight.
Cameron Waters and David Reynolds were the final drivers to make it in to the top ten shootout, with Nick Percat missing out by just 0.0185 seconds in position eleven.
