Drivers wary of 'sketchy' wet Sandown qualifying

Supercars drivers and teams will have their eyes on Melbourne's unpredictable skies at Sandown, with wet weather expected to throw the form guide out on Saturday.

Per the current forecast, there is a 95 percent chance of rain for all-important qualifying day, with 3-10 mm possible.

It was music to the ears of noted wet weather master Andre Heimgartner, who dominated the rain-affected Taupō race back in April.

“Hopefully it pisses down,” Heimgartner said in the post-session press conference.

“We’ll see. Who knows. It's Melbourne, I lived here for nine years, who knows, no one even knows what’s going to happen.

“It probably will be wet tomorrow at some stage, whether it's wet for qualifying, who knows.”

Heimgartner flagged how Sandown’s ageing track surface lends itself to “sketchy” action in the wet, something that could be nullified somewhat by the softer wet weather tyre.

“This is an old school track, so in the wet, it’s very sketchy, I'm not sure how it will be on these tyres, probably a lot better than the old compound we had,” the Brad Jones Racing driver added.

“Nonetheless, it’ll be exciting viewing, even if it’s just practice.”

Championship leader Will Brown, who was second in Practice 3, added: “I would say, one of the hardest tracks to race and qualify on in the wet.

“I remember back in Formula Ford I raced here and that was my first time in the wet, and I left the pits and did about two 360s at Turn 2. So it’s pretty slippery.”

Supercars will return to the track on Saturday morning for Practice 4 at 9:55am, followed by Practice 5 at 12:05pm.

Drivers will tackle Boost Mobile Qualifying at 2:15pm, which will set the running order for the Top Ten Shootout at 5:25pm.