D'Alberto Scores First Front Row Start

ARMOR ALL Qualifying has unfolded ahead of today’s Races 26 and 27 at the Winton 360 in Victoria. Two 15-minute sessions ran back-to-back this morning to determine the grid for this afternoon's 100km races.

Team BOC’s Jason Bright, who finished third yesterday, has pole position for the first race of the afternoon, with Tony D’Alberto alongside on the front row, just 0.0953sec behind Bright’s 1min22.0939sec.

Under four-tenths of a second covered the top 14.

The result is Bright’s fourth pole of the season and first at the track since he drove for Ford Performance Racing back in 2006.

Meanwhile, D’Alberto is yet to win a V8 Supercars Championship race and second is his best qualifying result to date.

“Yesterday the car was really strong and we didn’t put the best lap together, but very happy today,” the Team HIFLEX driver told v8supercars.com.au.

“We will tune the car up a little bit for the race to look after its tyres a little better. We are pretty good over one lap but we need to make sure they are good over 35 laps.

“I will be going as hard as I can – I am just glad to be up the front because if you qualify badly it’s a bit of a procession around here.”

Click here for full results from Qualifying 26.

Bright managed second for Race 27’s qualifying, 0.0944sec behind Holden Racing Team’s James Courtney, who recorded a 1min22.1328.

The young guns have claimed the second row for today’s second race, with recent race winners Chaz Mostert and McLaughlin third and fourth, and D’Alberto follows, sharing the third row with Will Davison.

Many of the Championship’s top 10 drivers could not be found in the top 10 in the second qualifying session – Fabian Coulthard 11th, Winterbottom 19, Webb 25. And it’s looking like a tough day for Red Bull Racing Australia – both drivers may be one and two in the points, but Lowndes will start from 17 and 13, Whincup from 18 and 17 after a suggested tailshaft vibration. 

Click here for full results from Qualifying 27.

Race 26 begins at 1.35pm AEST; 27 at 4.15pm at the Winton 360.

Those not attending the event can follow line and uninterrupted on V8 SuperView.