Supercars: Reynolds and Davison to start from pole in opening two races in Melbourne
2017 Bathurst 1000 winner David Reynolds and two-time Bathurst winner Will Davison will start from pole position in the opening two races of the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400.
It’s a different story for reigning Repco Supercars Champion and points leader Shane van Gisbergen, who will start the opening race of the weekend from last place on the grid.
A huge accident for Jake Kostecki called an early end to Thursday’s first ARMOR ALL Qualifying session.
It was the second huge accident of the day, and followed rookie Broc Feeney’s crash in the opening practice session of the event which left the #88 Red Bull Commodore battered before qualifying had even begun.
It helped Reynolds, secure his 14th career pole and first since Townsville 2019.
It was a different story for van Gisbergen, who lost his first flying lap due to a curb strike and had his lap time voided.
Reynolds’ 1:45.678s proved just 0.02s quicker than Practice 1 fast man Anton De Pasquale.
The Grove Racing veteran became the sixth different pole-sitter in as many sessions in 2022.
“I was a little bit lost after practice,” Reynolds said.
“We made some good changes and I did a 98 per cent lap, and it was good enough for pole.
“I’m really stoked with that, it’s a full credit to the team at Penrite Racing.
“We’ve worked so hard the last couple of months and produced some good cars.”
Van Gisbergen returned to pit lane just as Kostecki found the barriers at Turn 5. The Kostecki incident triggered a red flag, and the session didn’t restart.
The Red Bull ace, who leads the championship by 67 points over De Pasquale, was the only driver unable to set a lap time.
Reynolds will share the front row with De Pasquale, with Chaz Mostert qualifying third.
For the second race of the weekend, Shell Ford’s two-time Bathurst winner Will Davison will start from pole, chasing his first race victory since 2016.
“It’s high grip, so you’ve got to be confident,” said Davison, who took a 21st career pole.
“I knew it was in the car, and it was knowing i had to put it together.
“I’m bloody happy with that… thanks to the team, we’re off to a good start.”
Points leader Shane van Gisbergen, meanwhile, recovered from a nightmare Race 6 session.
Van Gisbergen will launch from third alongside teammate Broc Feeney, who crashed in Practice 1.
Anton De Pasquale, who is 67 points behind van Gisbergen, will start fifth for Saturday’s first race.