Slade starting from front row

It’s been a tough run at the ITM 500 Auckland for Tim Slade, with damage and driving clashes, but the Supercheap Auto racer is looking forward to turning that around in today’s 200km race after qualifying second.

Slade’s effort was just 0.0580sec behind ARMOR ALL Pole Sitter Scott McLaughlin, who piloted his Valvoline Volvo into the 1min02’s in the 20-minute session.

“I’m pretty excited to be on the front row,” Slade told v8supercars.com.au. 

“I guess yesterday things couldn’t have gone any worse for us than what they did.

“Even that session, up until that last lap I really didn’t get it together when I wanted it to either, so I sort of pulled it together on the last lap.

“It’s a massive relief after the weekend we have had so far.”

With his other Walkinshaw Racing stablemates having recorded good results yesterday, he had been lagging behind. Slade has only pulled in 35 points of a possible 150 across the three completed races at the ITM 500 Auckland, but is hoping for redemption in the final and more valuable run. 

“I’m happy for the other guys – with your teammates going well and you’re having a shocker it makes it worse. But it is a big relief (to qualify on the front row).

“I had no idea what the pace was and the car was the best then as what it has been all weekend.

“I saw three-zero come on the dash and thought, ‘well I think that should be fairly close to the money’ and the boys said p2.

“I just had a look at the times when we came in and see how close we are – it is close but all the times are close around this circuit being so small.”

Just 0.58 seconds separated the 24-car field in the qualifying session around the 2.91km race – a sign the racing will be tight and explosive for this afternoon’s longer contest.

Shane van Gisbergen, Mark Winterbottom, Chaz Mostert, David Reynolds, Michael Caruso, Jamie Whincup, Todd Kelly and Rick Kelly completed the top 10 in qualifying.

Slade was well ahead of his stablemates, with Nick Percat 12, James Courtney 14 and Garth Tander 22 in the session.

Click here for full session results, and here for the session report. 

Today’s final 70-lap race at the ITM 500 Auckland begins at 3.25pm local time, with the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy to be awarded after the race to the driver with the most accumulated points. Winterbottom leads the fight.