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The title of fastest man ever around Mt Panorama is set to finally change hands on Saturday if the weather in Bathurst stays kind.
Two days of nudging Greg Murphy’s long-standing lap record like never before continued during Bathurst 1000 qualifying on Friday, with Holden driver Jason Richards fastest going into Saturday’s top 10 shootout.
But several drivers – including Holden star Garth Tander and Ford’s Craig Lowndes – were denied becoming the fastest man ever to lap Mt Panorama by bad luck.
For Lowndes, it was a red flag in the dying seconds of qualifying when Warren Luff crashed his Ford, just as the Team Vodafone driver was uncorking a huge flying lap.
For Tander, it was a blue car – that of Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom weaving to warm his tyres – just as the Holden Racing Team driver was entering the final portion of his lap.
Both drivers were on track to break or at least go close to Murphy’s two minute 6.8594 second qualifying lap record set in 2003.
“A blue car got in the way on the last corner … it was maybe going to be at least a very, very low 2:07,” said Tander, whose lap was second fastest.
“There’s no traffic tomorrow in the shootout, so there’s no excuses then.
“It’s one of those things – no big deal.”
Tander and Lowndes’ efforts – and the surprising performance of Richards’ Team BOC Commodore to outqualify them both – suggest the record is sure to fall during the top 10 shootout should the rain stay away.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting the chance of a shower for Bathurst on Saturday which, if it happened during the shootout, would destroy any chance of a record lap time.
“It’ll depend on the weather and the track’s traditionally slower in the afternoon, but if one of us gets our sectors right, we’ll do a six (2:06),” said Tander, who will team with Will Davison in Sunday’s 1,000km race.
Lee Holdsworth made it a Holden 1-2-3 during qualifying, with Winterbottom the leading Falcon, finishing fourth.
Lowndes, who is shooting with Jamie Whincup for an unprecedented fourth successive Bathurst 1000 win on Sunday, qualified sixth fastest.
Murphy finished ninth to ensure he and fellow veteran Mark Skaife will start Sunday’s 1,000km race inside the top 10.
But the Jim Beam Racing duo of Steven Johnson and James Courtney will start from 13th on the grid on Sunday after missing out on a top 10 spot.
Holden driver David Reynolds walked away unhurt following a heavy crash into a tyre wall during qualifying which badly damaged the front of his Commodore.
Three-time world superbike champion Troy Bayliss had a difficult day in his Commodore, qualifying more than six seconds off the pace and last of the 32 entries.
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