Courtney on pole for race 1 at Queensland
Courtney left it late in the qualifying session to set the fastest time for the top slot for the first race at the City of Ipswich 400 at Queensland Raceway.
Current wonder-boy Mark Winterbottom tried to topple him from the top spot but missed out by a mere 8 thousandths of a second making yet another front row lock-out by Ford.
The best of the Holdens was the Supercheap Commododre of Russell Ingall in third. Team Vodafone’s Craig Lowndes was fourth fastest, with Holden Racing Team’s Mark Skaife fifth fastest hoping to quieten his critics. Skaife looked to be on a pole-setting time but locked a brake in the final corner, finishing just .15 of a second off the pole position time.
Reigning champion Garth Tander will line up alongside his team-mate Skaife in sixth.
Seventh is Will Davison in his Jim Beam Racing Falcon. Eighth is Jason Richards who set third fastest time during the first leg of qualifying in his Sprint Gas Racing Holden.
Jamie Whincup set the fastest time in the second leg but had to settle for ninth place after some off-track excursions. Steven Johnson in the second Jim Beam Racing Falcon completed the top ten.
There were many drivers just outside the top ten that were expected to be there, so close were the times that the top 26 were covered by just one second.
