V8 big names bomb at Bathurst qualifying

Some of V8 Supercars’ biggest names have missed out on a top 10 Bathurst 1000 grid spot after rain-affected qualifying at Mount Panorama on Saturday.

Holden’s Fabian Coulthard has claimed provisional pole, clocking two minutes, 6.18 seconds to top the timesheets before the heavens opened midway through the 30-minute session.

V8 series leader Mark Winterbottom (14th), five-time Bathurst champion Craig Lowndes (15th) and Holden gun Garth Tander (22nd) will miss Saturday’s top 10 shootout.

They have been reduced to spectators for the session that will determine the top 10 grid spots for Sunday’s Great Race.

They failed to impress on the dry track before showers hit, sabotaging any hopes of a fast time.

The opening qualifying session was postponed until Saturday following defending Bathurst champion Chaz Mostert’s horror crash at Mount Panorama.

Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen (2.06.44) was second fastest ahead of fellow Holden driver Tim Slade (2.06.50).

Series defending champion and four-time Bathurst winner Jamie Whincup was fourth fastest.

The top 10 is completed by leading Ford driver Scott Pye, Jason Bright, Scott McLaughlin, David Reynolds, Lee Holdsworth and James Moffat.

It marks Lowndes’ worst qualifying effort at Bathurst. His previous worst was 12th in 2001.

Lowndes said he would find inspiration from Mostert’s last-to-first finish to win last year’s Bathurst 1000.

“We knew there was the potential for showers,” Lowndes said.

“Now I am very focused on what happened last year.”

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