Courtney in doubt for qualifying after practice crash

A ’super aggressive’ snap on turn-in was the catalyst to James Courtney’s big crash in Practice 2 at the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint.

The 2010 champion crashed out of the final practice session at Albert Park after losing control through the fast Turn 5 sweeper.

Courtney lost the car on turn-in and careened into the Tecpro barriers, with the Snowy River Caravans Ford sustaining significant left-side damage.

The impact sheared the left rear wheel free of the car, with Courtney coming to a stop at corner exit.

The session was immediately suspended, with Courtney 23rd overall in the session topped by PremiAir Racing driver James Golding.

Speaking afterwards, Courtney told the broadcast: “It's not pretty.

“As soon as I turned in, I just lost the rear straight away. It happened so early. As soon as I put any input in, it snapped super aggressively.

“It’s disappointing. After everything that’s happened, and the lead-in we’ve had, it’s the last thing we need with more work.”

There is a 90-minute gap between Practice 2 and Boost Mobile Qualifying on Thursday afternoon, with drivers qualifying for Race 4 and Race 5.

Should BRT be unable to get the car repaired in time, Courtney could start both races from the rear of the grid, with Race 5 to take place on Friday afternoon.

Golding has continued his strong start to the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint for PremiAir, topping the final practice session of the weekend with a session-best 1:47.1632s.

Just past the halfway mark, the first red flag of the weekend came out after Courtney had his heavy crash in the Blanchard Racing Team's #7 Mustang.

The 2010 champion was running 11th at the time when he lost the rear end of his Mustang.