Grid position for a 1000km race may not seem exactly crucial but Fabian Coulthard says qualifying 2nd at Bathurst today will give him the edge on Sunday.
The Lockwood Racing driver was consistently quick during the 40-minute session, which rarely saw him outside the top ten, but put in his fastest lap in the dying seconds.
He says part of his success is down to the strong relationship he has forged with Chief Engineer, Phil Keed, who is currently working on strategy for tomorrow’s Top Ten Shoot-Out at 4.30pm.
Fabian Coulthard
Lockwood Racing
“We came here with an expectation to be running in the Top 10 so I’m pretty happy with the result.
“In a 1000km race it’s important to have a front-row start, or somewhere close up the front, but there are plenty more factors that come into it: a race-winning strategy that brings the car home out in front is obviously pretty important as well!
“I have a lot of trust in my chief engineer [Phil Keed]. We have a partnership where I trust his judgement and you need that to make a perfect combination. We were very focused on getting quick, consistent times today to give us a good shot on Sunday and I think we’ve achieved that.”
David Besnard
Lockwood Racing Co-Driver
“The team and I were glued to the TV screen but we had full confidence Coulthard would get in the top ten. The BJR cars are traditionally pretty good here because the guys chase stability and punch out great times.
“Now we’re looking at the task at hand and concentrating on the Top Ten Shoot-Out for tomorrow.”
2012 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 – V8 Supercars Championship
MOUNT PANORAMA
V8 SUPERCARS – Qualifying
01 Jamie Whincup, TeamVodafone, 2:07.7145
02 Fabian Coulthard, Lockwood Racing, +0.0786
03 Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel FPR Ford, +0.2086
04 Will Davison, Trading Post FPR Ford, +0.2151
05 Craig Lowndes, TeamVodafone, +0.2518
06 Shane Van Gisbergen, SP Tools Racing, +0.3654
07 Tim Slade, Lucky 7 Racing, +0.3767
08 Garth Tander, Holden Racing Team, +0.3900
09 Steve Owen, VIP Petfoods, +0.4241
10 David Reynolds, The Bottle-O Racing Team, +0.5167
