Wood takes pole in red flag-hit Dunlop Series qualifying

RYAN Wood will start the opening Dunlop Series race at Sandown after topping Saturday’s qualifying session.

The Walkinshaw Andretti United pilot pipped Aaron Love to the top spot by just 0.0929 seconds after a red flag-punctuated Super2 session.

Love was responsible for the first stoppage, five minutes into the second-tier’s 15-minute hitout, when he ran off into the sand at Dandenong Road Corner.

The session was then brought to a premature end when Jack Perkins rolled to a halt with an apparent electrical issue on the exit of Dandenong Road Corner with just under two minutes remaining in the session.

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Zach Bates and Zane Morse complete the second row ahead of championship leader Zak Best and Eggleston Motorsport trio Cameron Crick, Kai Allen and Cooper Murray.

Super3 polesitter Cameron McLeod’s effort held up to net him ninth on the grid for the opening race, with Super2 debutant Aaron Cameron rounding out the top 10.

The second red flag caught out a handful of drivers who were on fast laps, including Best and Brad Vaughan.

The Tickford pilot in particular was hurt by the lost lap as it was his first flying lap on new tyres for the session. He’ll start the race 22^nd, behind all but one of the Super3 entries.

Super3: McLeod continues pole rampage

McLeod claimed his sixth pole position of the Super3 season by over quarter of a second from title rival Jobe Stewart.

McLeod was the only third-tier runner to crack into the ‘nines’ in his Nissan Altima, with a 1m09.9428s set with five minutes remaining in the 15-minute session.

Stewart’s Image Racing Holden Commodore VF headed a quartet of Nissans, with Mason Kelly, Ryan Gilroy, Valentino Astuti and Jett Johnson rounding out the Super3 field.

Kelly’s result came despite a spin at Dandenong Road Corner in the closing minutes, which deposited dirt on the track that meant no other drivers were able to improve as the chequered flag neared.

McLeod was one driver that was on a faster lap at the time, as was fourth-fastest Gilroy, having his first weekend aboard a Nissan after spending his rookie season so far aboard AIM Motorsport’s Holden Commodore VF.

Astuti was similarly unlucky to be only wind up fifth fastest, 0.63 seconds off McLeod’s pole time, in his first Super3 Series qualifying session.

He set the fastest middle sector of all on his final lap before encountering the dirt on the exit of Dandenong Road Corner, dumping half a second on his previous best in the final sector.

The opening Dunlop Series race of the Sandown 500 weekend gets underway at 4:20pm AEST.

Results: Qualifying for Race 1, Sandown Super2

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