Plenty of Support Category Highlights on Thursday
Thursday, 7 April 2022
Smiles and Frowns on Day One.
After the first day of Support category action at the Formula 1® Heineken® Australian Grand Prix 2022, there was plenty of good and bad news, and some rapid laps in front of an estimated 55,107 spectators on the 5.28km Albert Park Grand Prix circuit.
After two exciting Qualifying sessions David Reynolds and Will Davison have split the pole positions for the two opening Supercars races.
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Reynolds’s Penrite Grove Racing Ford Mustang topped the opening session with a time of 1m45.6781s, 0.025s clear of Anton De Pasquale (Shell V-Power Ford Mustang). Chaz Mostert was third fastest, in spite of running off the road in his Optus/Walkinshaw Andretti United Holden Commodore at the first corner after setting his time.
Will Davison’s Shell V-Power Ford Mustang took pole position for Race 2 with a 1m44.9418s lap, to edge out Reynolds and championship leader Shane van Gisbergen (Red Bull Ampol Holden Commodore).
It was the latter who was the big news story of the day. The first 20-minute session was red-flagged early after Jake Kostecki hit the wall in his Tradie Ford Mustang. With debris all over the track, a number of drivers lost the opportunity to set a time, including van Gisbergen, who will be forced to start the opening race from 25th and last place.
Supercars return to the track on Friday, with separate Qualifying sessions for Race 3 and Race 4, and the opening race of the weekend at 2:40 pm.
In Carrera Cup, Aaron Love will start the series’ new era from pole position after a scintillating lap of 1m49.3236s in his Sonic Motor Racing/Bob Jane T-Marts Porsche 992 GT3 Cup racer.
The international driver bested Max Vidau and Luke Youlden to lead the runners in the Pro category, while Liam Talbot topped the drivers in Morris Finance Pro-Am class ahead of Geoff Emery and Stephen Grove.
The 31 Carrera Cup drivers will take to the track for the opening race of the 2022 championship at 11:00 am, with a second race at 5:15 pm.
Joey Mawson will lead the drivers away for the opening race on the S5000s after taking pole position in Qualifying on Thursday. Mawson, the current Gold Star champion, lapped the track in 1m39.7772s, nearly 11 seconds faster than when the cars last qualified at Albert Park, in 2020.
Aaron Cameron and James Golding were next fastest, and the 560-horsepower open-wheelers start their racing at 10:20 am on Friday.
The circuit gates open at 9:15 am on Friday, just in time for the fans to take their positions for the opening Supercars sessions.
Formula 1® Free Practice 1 is due to start at 1:00 pm, with the second session at 4:00 pm.
