Supercars championship leader Scott McLaughlin has qualified his Ford Mustang fastest for Saturday’s co-driver sprint race at the Sandown 500.
The DJR Team Penske star completed a one minute and 07.7736 second fastest lap in the 20-minute qualifying run to pip Holden’s Jamie Whincup (1:07.9159) to top spot.
It means McLaughlin’s co-driver Alex Premat will start the 60km race at the front of the grid alongside Whincup’s partner Craig Lowndes.
Nissan’s Andre Heimgartner qualified third (1:07.9398) ahead of Shane Van Gisbergen (1:07.9663), putting Bryce Fullwood and Garth Tander on to the second row.
Another Nissan driver, Garry Jacobson qualified fifth to put co-driver Dean Fiore into the mix for a strong result.
McLaughlin, driving a newly built Mustang after a car-wrecking crash on the Gold Coast last month, is aiming to wrap up this year’s championship this weekend.
He made the most of a drying track after rain lashed the 3.1km circuit at the start of the session to lay down his impressive time.
« I was just watching the track dry those first three laps I was out there and I was trying to look after the tyre and then the boys said ‘they’re going a bit faster’ … I knew that the track grip was there so had a go and it was really good, » McLaughlin told Fox Sports.
« Once I got it hooked up and got going round the back where it was a bit drier, (it) was good. »
The first of two 60km races on Saturday will be limited to co-drivers only.
How they finish will then determine the grid for a second 60km race, which will feature the full-time drivers and give McLaughlin a chance to extend his whopping 463-point championship lead.
Saturday’s second race will also determine the starting grid for Sunday’s 161-lap, 500km endurance race.
The co-driver race begins at 2.25pm.
http://www.espn.com/v8-supercars/story/_/id/28037837/mclaughlin-puts-mustang-top-sandown
