There may have been no shortage of drama in qualifying but Australia’s Matt Campbell has left the best until last to claim pole position for Sunday’s Bathurst 12 Hour at an unforgiving Mount Panorama.
After crashes and pit-lane clashes, Campbell topped the timesheets in Saturday’s top 10 shootout with a scorching two minute, 03.55 second effort for his Absolute Racing Porsche outfit.
He was just 0.23 of a second ahead of Alvaro Parente of EMA Racing McLaren with Mercedes-AMG GruppeM’s Raffaele Marciello third.
Campbell admitted it was not his best effort but was excited that he was on track to claim back to back Bathurst 12 Hour titles after being part of Earl Bamber Motorsport’s 2019 winning outfit on the mountain.
“I put everything on the line. I was really pushing hard, missed a few apexes but overall there was nothing left on the table – I tried absolutely everything I could,” said Campbell, whose team is completed by French drivers Mathieu Jaminet and Patrick Pilet.
“I’m extremely excited and this is one (pole position) I’ve wanted for a long time.”
The top 10 shootout held late on Saturday was completed without incident – unlike the rest of qualifying that was marred by some spectacular crashes.
At times it was carnage in the two qualifying sessions ahead of the shootout, prompting emotions to boil over in pitlane.
Belgian Frederic Vervisch first crashed his Valvoline Audi into the tyre barrier at McPhillamy Park before Triple Eight Mercedes’ Sam Shahin and SCANDIA Racing MARC II driver Tyler Everingham copped heavy hits.
Triple Eight Mercedes boss Roland Dane pointed the blame squarely on Lamborghini driver Cameron McConville after Shahin was sent into the concrete.
“Sam got out of the car, looked a bit winded then the next thing is the idiot who took him out, McConville who should have retired years ago and that (incident) shows it,” Dane said.
Still there was more drama.
R-Motorsport Aston Martin’s Marvin Kirchhofer flipped at Sulman Park before Trofeo Lamborghini driver Dean Canto spectacularly spun at McPhillamy Park, landing on top of the tyre barrier.
Kirchhofer and Canto were cleared of injury at the trackside medical centre while Shahin and Everingham received precautionary check-ups at a local hospital.
Only Canto’s Lamborghini is expected to be repaired in time for Sunday’s enduro reducing the starting field to 33.
“I’m just feeling so sorry right now,” said Germany’s Kirchhofer after totalling his Aston Martin.
“It was my mistake, I clipped the wall. Don’t know really yet what happened, if it was a puncture or the rear suspension broke but I had no control any more of the car any more.”
The star studded field boasts Supercars stars Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes, Chaz Mostert, David Reynolds, Garth Tander and Rick Kelly.
The Bathurst 12 Hour starts at 545am AEDT on Sunday.
