Winterbottom wins elimination qualifying race

Mark Winterbottom won the elimination style qualifying race for Ford Performance Racing ahead of Jamie Whincup in Melbourne.

Shane Van Gisbergen had launched into the lead at the start, but Winterbottom passed the Stone Brothers Racing driver half way round the opening lap and held on for the 11 laps to secure the victory.

The race was interrupted with a safety car on lap two for an incident involving Steve Owen’s DJR Ford, Michael Patrizi’s Tekno Autosports Holden and BJR’s Jason Bright, as a result the race distance was reduced by two laps.

The race featured an unusual elimation format, with three cars ‘black flagged’ every three laps until there was only ten cars left running for the final part.