Trass Family Ferrari Claims Sandown Pole
TRASS Family Ferrari pilot Jono Lester has claimed his fourth pole position of the 2015 Australian GT Championship Presented by Pirelli at Sandown today, blitzing the Melbourne circuit with a 1m08.9094s lap.
The New Zealander narrowly out-pointed fellow Ferrari pilot Tony D’Alberto by just 0.0487s to claim pole and lock out the front row of the grid for the Italian cars.
Lester will share the pole-sitting #27 Ferrari with countryman Graeme Smyth while D’Alberto – who is on double duty this weekend, also competing in the V8 Supercars Sandown 500 – will share his #88 Maranello Motorsport entry with Grant Denyer.
Lester today set a new AGT record with his fourth pole position of this season – no driver has ever recorded four poles in a calendar year in the championship’s 10-year modern era history until today.
Championship leader Nathan Antunes overcame some clutch problems to set the third-fastest time in his #6 Skwirk/Beachwood Homes Audi R8 LMS Ultra, but was nearly eight-tenths off the pace set by the Lester Ferrari.
Importantly, he extended his championship points lead today over JAMEC PEM Audi pilot Christopher Mies given there are championship points on the line for the fastest 10 drivers in qualifying in Australian GT at each round.
Antunes scored 10 championship points for his efforts today while Mies – who won the last round with Ryan Millier at Sydney Motorsport Park – was fifth fastest and scored six points.
That means Antunes now holds a 15-point advantage over Mies heading into tomorrow’s first hour-long race.
The Lamborghini of Elliot Barbour and Glen Wood was mega impressive, Wood setting the fourth fastest time in qualifying in the first of two, 20-minute sessions.
Wood drove the car in the last round at Sydney Motorsport Park, while former V8 Ute pilot Barbour was solid in his first drive of the Italian supercar despite a spin at turn one in the second qualifying session.
Fresh back from competing in the Barcelona 24 Hour in Spain, Morgan Haber qualified his Erebus Mercedes sixth fastest in front of Klark Quinn’s McLaren, Max Twigg/Geoff Emery in the second Erebus Mercedes, Justin McMillan/John McIntyre’s Camaro and the AMAC Porsche of Andrew Macpherson and Bradley Shiels.
Andrew Miedecke’s debut in the Australian GT Championship netted him 12th on the grid in the Miedecke Motor Group Aston Martin Vantage run by Ross Stone Racing.
The Trophy Class-leading Audi R8 LMS of Greg Taylor and Barton Mawer was 16th fastest and set the pole time in their class, six-tenths quicker than the Porsche of Theo Koundouris and Simon Ellingham/Jaxon Evans’ Fastway Couriers Porsche.
Challenge Class leader Michael O’Donnell spent some time in the turn one sand trap, opening the door for fellow Porsche pilot Richard Gartner to take pole in the class.
O’Donnell was second fastest with Tony Alford’s Donut King Nissan GT-R R35 third in Challenge Class.
A total of 30 cars took to the circuit today under clear skies with further good weather expected over the next two days at Sandown.
Tomorrow’s forecast is for another clear day with a maximum of 20 degrees and a top of 24 degrees for Sunday.
The Australian GT Championship cars return to the circuit at Sandown tomorrow with Race 1 starting at 4.55pm and being held over one hour with a compulsory pit stop.
Category organisers have modified the pit stop window since the last round in Sydney and shortened it – all cars will be required to make their stop between 40% and 60% of race distance.