HSVDT’s Rick Kelly moved up a position from his seventh place start on the grid to sixth, in the first race of the BigPond 400 today in what was a close finish.
Kelly’s HSVDT stable-mate Paul Dumbrell crossed the finish line of Race 1 in fifteenth position, a miscommunication found both drivers in pit lane for their compulsory pit stop, costing Dumbrell a few seconds and a few track positions.
Some minor tweaks will be made tonight before the final two races tomorrow where both HSVDT cars will be looking to push through the field and gain a few more places on today’s finishing positions.
In qualifying earlier today both Kelly and Dumbrell found themselves battling for pole position and qualifying inside the top ten. Kelly qualified in 7th position in the final ten minute session with a time of 56.990 seconds, Dumbrell in 9th with a time of 57.0601 seconds.
Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom put his car on pole position and lead Race 1 to take out the first of three races. The two Toll Holden Racing Team Commodores of Mark Skaife and Garth Tander finished in second and third.
The heavens opened up this morning and the rain poured onto the Barbagallo circuit however blue skies appeared for the three part qualifying session and Race 1.
#15 Rick Kelly (Qual: 7th, Race 1: 6th 57.6311)
“From where we were at the start of the day I think sixth place is quite good. We had a few hindrances in qualifying which cost us a better spot on the grid and also put us in a bit of a panic to try and scuffle through qualifying, without ending up with a poor place on the gird.”
“We had hoped to move further forward in the race than from seventh to sixth but moving forward is better than moving back.”
“We have moved from row four to row three on the grid for tomorrow’s race and we will try and move to the podium end tomorrow.”
#16 Paul Dumbrell (Qual: 9th, Race 1: 15th 57.8718)
“It was really disappointing to be honest, we had made some fairly good inroads throughout the weekend so far and we were running in ninth in the first couple of laps after the safety car, but a bit of miscommunication meant both our cars ended up in pit lane at the same time. As a result I was fairly penalised out of it, but it is a long day tomorrow.”
“As an organisation we are all going really well, we have got good car speed, we just have to minimise these little hiccups that we have been having from affecting us.”
“We will make some more improvements tonight and make the car a little bit better, it is pretty tight and close on the track so it is going to be a tough day but we will work a little magic and hopefully get up towards the front.”
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