> Result: Combined qualifying
Coinspot’s Audi beat Team Valvoline’s factory-backed entries to the fastest combined time – 4m08.589s – in LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour qualifying at Mount Panorama earlier today.
Liam Talbot’s table topping Q1 lap laid the foundations for Mostert who maintained provisional pole despite Kelvin van der Linde setting fastest time of the weekend thus far.
His 2m02.812s moved Audi Sport Team Valvoline’s #74 R8 from third to second in the combined classification and 0.3s behind the leading entry.
His Am co-driver Brad Schumacher was on course to improve his Q1 time when team-mate Yasser Shahin looped the sister Audi and, ultimately, brought the first session to an early end.
Ricardo Feller thus began Q2 in fifth but also found time to end the session third overall. The chance to make further improvements was cut short by another red flag to recover the stranded #11 Porsche Cup entry, which hit the wall approaching Reid Park.
The best of the Mercedes-AMGs was next up courtesy of SunEnergy1’s Martin Konrad and Jules Gounon, although their one-lap pace looks unlikely to trouble the leading Audis later this afternoon.
RAM Motorsport’s Am pairing of Garth Walden and Brett Hobson starred en route to fifth overall after Walden ended Q1 second fastest. Their Mercedes-AMG completes the list of entries that will contest the second half of a revised Pole Shootout that will now see qualifying’s top-10 split equally across two 15-minute sessions.
The first will feature Grove Racing’s Porsche which was patched up in time for qualifying following its Free Practice 6 accident.
Another Am entry, Valmont Racing, Triple Eight’s Mercedes-AMG, Wall Racing’s Lamborghini and Hallmarc’s Audi will also run in the first half of Pole Shootout.
Elsewhere, Team BRM’s Audi made a brief appearance after being repaired following its practice accident, while Melbourne Performance Centre also worked miracles to complete Supabarn’s freshly delivered R8, which arrived this morning in Evo I spec.
Part one of Top-10 Pole Shootout begins at 16:15 AEST and is live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel. Fans in Australia and New Zealand can watch live via the Seven Network, Fox Sports, Kayo and Sky Sports NZ.