Wood Christchurch pole confirmed after qualifying close call
Ryan Wood keeps Christchurch pole after qualifying close call
Walkinshaw TWG Racing driver was caught by Jayden Ojeda in closing seconds
Results final for Race 12 qualifying, with Wood on pole and Ojeda 10th
Ryan Wood's Race 12 pole at the ITM Christchurch Super 440 will stand, despite a close call with PremiAir Racing rookie Jayden Ojeda in qualifying.
It was a second pole of the season for Jason Richards Trophy leader Wood, and a second for the new Toyota Supra in just 12 attempts.
Wood benefited from a strategy masterclass on new tyres, and after setting his fast time, received a celebratory message from engineer Richard Harris.
However, the clock continued to tick in the session, and the slowing Wood remained on the racing line as PremiAir driver Ojeda approached.
Ojeda was forced to step off the primary line before braking into the final corner, and completed his lap. The #31 PremiAir Camaro didn’t improve and ended up 10th.
The close call caught the attention of Garth Tander, who said in commentary: “That’s not good for Ryan Wood. Wood was online as Jayden Ojeda came to the final corner.”
PremiAir Racing owner Peter Xiberras later confirmed to Supercars.com that no investigation will be placed on the incident, before the results were made final shortly afterwards.
When asked about the incident post-session, Ojeda suggested he was impeded, but admitted he was already up against it after an error at Turn 3.
Ojeda said: "In some ways, yes, but my lap was already done by Turn 3 when I dropped a couple of wheels off, so it didn't really change the outcome for me.”
The PremiAir driver previously qualified a season-best 10th for Race 11, which he matched for Race 12.
Race 11 will begin at 12:45pm NZST/10:45am AEST, whilst Race 12 will begin at 4:10pm NZST/2:10pm AEST.
