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The positions after Friday practice are as follows
Lowndes 2:07:3741
S Richards
Ambrose
Skaife
Jim Richards
Ingall
Jason Richards
Jason Bright
Seton
Murphy
R. Kelly
Besnard
McConville
Ritter
Wilson
Noske
Bargwanna
Morris
Owen
Ellery
Davison
Tratt
Menu
Pretty
D'Alberto
Faulkner
Holdsworth
Marshall
Porter
Fernandez
Coleman 2:13:0286


Heart attack time in the feeder series race,just won by Dean Canto . A large grey kangaroo hopped onto the track, the only thing that stopped him landing in front of one of the cars was that he fell over on the damp track, nearly sliding under the car.
Change of underwear time for the driver.
Qualifying shortly. The track is slightly damp, with spits of rain falling.

With 28 minutes of qualifying to go rain has begun to fall on The Mountain.

That will make it a little more interesting.

Anyone who didnt bank a fast time in the first part of qualifying now has a problem, with light consistant rain falling. A few drivers are circulating on wets in case the Shootout is wet. The rest are in the pits.

The top ten at this point are;
Lowndes
Skaife
Ambrose
Rick Kelly
Murphy
S. Richards
Jason Richards
Ingall
Seton
Jim Richards.

Lowndes set a time of 2:07:132, the gap back to tenth is 1:294 seconds

Qualifying is now over, the places as posted above will stand.

Tagliani/Marshall have been relegated to the rear of the field for failing to present their race car to the weigh-in within the specified time.

Several drivers are said to be suffering from illness leading up to the race. Craig Lowndes and Rick Kelly for example have viral throat infections. Kelly could manage only a handful of laps, and was clearly distressed when he exited the car. The circuit medical staff confirmed the nature of the ailment, and he was sent back to the hotel for the day, leaving Garth Tander to qualify the car.

The Bathurst 1000, in its various guises, used to be a stand alone event with teams racing for the glory of winning the prestigious classic.
On Sunday there is a race within a race.
Ambrose and Ingall are team drivers for Stone Bros Racing but have different sponsorship committments with their respective vehicles.
Ambrose leads the title race, with Ingall in second place.
Ambrose has to drive to protect his lead, while Ingall has to finish ahead of him in the remaining races to have a shot at the title.
Wouldn't it be better to see every competitor in this race charging for the line ?
What of the enormous presure on the two co-drivers?
Warren Luff is paired with Ambrose, and Luke Youlden with Ingall.
Each has the pressure of the sponsors, team, and fans bearing down on them.
Is it fair that each of these young drivers bears the knowledge that one mistake by either of them could have a huge effect on the title?
Sunday's race could destroy the prospective careers of either young man.

The daunting nature of the Mt. Panorama track, and the importance of co-drivers is illustrated by Lowndes' partner. Yvan Muller is a gun European driver, with titles to his name. He co-drove to victory at Sandown with Lowndes
At this stage he is 3 SECONDS a lap slower than Lowndes.
Allowing for the fact that the race pace is going to be 1 to 2 seconds off Lowndes fastest time that puts him at least 1 second off the pace
If he stays at that pace, and drives say, the middle 50 lap stint, Lowndes will have to find the best part of a minute over the last stint.
They are not the only ones with the same problem.

The forecastfor Mt. Panorama today, Saturday, is: strong winds, occasional showers,cool with a top of 19degC.
The Shootout could be very interesting.

Overnight rain has stripped the track of the rubber laid down over the last 2 days, just to add to the difficulties facing the drivers. Rick Kelly is at the track, but still said to be suffering the effects of a nasty virus..

Brad Jones racing has announced that they have signed a three year contract with Stone Brothers Racing to use SBR engines commencing next season.

Cars are currently on track, in 4th practice. Some are still chasing set up, or fine tuning, others are giving co-drivers more lap time, most teams are roading tyres.
Skaife has just circulated in a 2:08.

Tander has just gone faster. Times so far suggest that the top ten are bedding in race engines and componetry, and conserving for the Shootout

Ambient teperature is 19degC, track temp is 20C. There is a very strong gusty wind. The team has been on the radio telling Yvan Muller to exercise caution across the top because of this.
Muller is complaining of low brake pedal !!