Former V8 Supercars champion Craig Lowndes has kickstarted his 2011 season title ambitions in the best possible way by taking pole position – and heading a Team Vodafone 1-2 – in qualifying for the season-opening first race at Abu Dhabi.
With team-mate Jamie Whincup lining up alongside him on the front row, the team from the Triple 8 stable can take even more comfort from knowing that their main rivals, the TOLL Holden Racing Team, had a poorer session, with Garth Tander lining up 14th and defending champion James Courtney a distant 20th.
The result marks Lowndes’ first pole position since the Barbagello round in 2009, and the Holden driver blasted past provisional polesitter Mark Winterbottom with a great lap around the shortened version of the Grand Prix venue.
Alex Davison is the fastest Ford runner, heading an all ‘Blue Oval’ second row from Winterbottom, while Paul Dumbrell and Tim Slade line up on the third row in their Fords.
The opening 200km race kicks off at 6:20pm local time.
V8 Supercars Yas 400 Qualifying Results (Race 1):
| Driver | Team | Time | Laps | ||
| 1. | Craig Lowndes |  |
Team Vodafone | 1:57.229 | 7 |
| 2. | Jamie Whincup | |
Team Vodafone | + 0.231 | 6 |
| 3. | Alex Davison |  |
Irwin Racing | + 0.300 | 6 |
| 4. | Mark Winterbottom | |
Orrcon Steel FPR | + 0.390 | 7 |
| 5. | Paul Dumbrell | |
The Bottle-O Racing Team | + 0.399 | 7 |
| 6. | Tim Slade | |
Lucky 7 Racing | + 0.510 | 8 |
| 7. | Jason Bright | |
Team BOC | + 0.550 | 7 |
| 8. | Steven Johnson | |
Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.554 | 8 |
| 9. | Lee Holdsworth | |
Fujitsu Racing GRM | + 0.584 | 8 |
| 10. | Jonathon Webb | |
Mother Energy Racing Team | + 0.726 | 6 |
| 11. | Fabian Coulthard | |
Huzzah Racing | + 0.731 | 7 |
| 12. | Will Davison | |
Trading Post FPR | + 0.735 | 8 |
| 13. | Steve Owen | |
VIP Petfoods | + 0.753 | 7 |
| 14. | Garth Tander | |
TOLL Holden Racing Team | + 0.757 | 6 |
| 15. | Shane van Gisbergen | |
SP Tool Racing FPR | + 0.782 | 6 |
| 16. | Tony D’Alberto | |
Wilson Security Racing | + 0.842 | 7 |
| 17. | Todd Kelly | |
Kelly Racing | + 0.976 | 7 |
| 18. | Michael Caruso | |
Fujitsu Racing GRM | + 1.083 | 7 |
| 19. | Jason Bargwanna | |
Team BOC | + 1.087 | 6 |
| 20. | James Courtney | |
TOLL Holden Racing Team | + 1.152 | 7 |
| 21. | Russell Ingall | |
Supercheap Auto Racing | + 1.225 | 7 |
| 22. | Karl Reindler | |
Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing | + 1.234 | 2 |
| 23. | David Reynolds | |
Stratco Racing | + 1.251 | 7 |
| 24. | Warren Luff | |
Gulf Western Oil Racing | + 1.349 | 6 |
| 25. | Rick Kelly | |
Kelly Racing | + 1.378 | 7 |
| 26. | Dean Fiore | |
Triple F Racing | + 1.697 | 7 |
| 27. | Greg Murphy | |
Pepsi Max Crew | + 1.827 | 7 |
| 28. | James Moffatt | |
Dick Johnson Racing | + 1.879 | 7 |
[Original video via V8 Supercars Australia]
Richard Bailey
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