Craig Lowndes has claimed pole position today for the second race of this weekend’s V8 Supercars Falken Tasmania Challenge at Symmons Plains Raceway, just edging out Ford Performance Racing duo Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom for top honours in a closely-fought session.
The result was Lowndes’ first pole position at the venue since his maiden championship visit here way back in 1996, and he was a hot contender to claim pole after he broke the circuit’s unofficial lap record in this morning’s practice session.
Lowndes’ best lap in qualifying – a 51.04-second lap – came halfway through the twenty-minute session, and despite intense pressure from his rivals, none were able to leapfrog to the top of the order.
Davison and Winterbottom moved into second and third positions on their last flying laps, with Shane van Gisbergen hauling his Stone Brother Racing Ford into fourth. Lowndes’ team-mate Jamie Whincup was fifth-fastest.
The top-ten was completed by David Reynolds (Ford Performance Racing), Garth Tander (Holden Racing Team), Lee Holdsworth (Stone Brothers Racing), Tim Slade (Stone Brothers) and Jonathon Webb (Tekno).
V8 Supercars rookie Alexandre Prémat earned the best qualifying result of his so-far brief career in the championship, with the Frenchman securing 11th on the grid in his GRM Holden.
2012 V8 Supercars Falken Tasmania Challenge – Race 2 Qualifying Results:
| Driver | Entry / Team | Result | ||
| 1. | Craig Lowndes |  |
Team Vodafone / Triple 8 Racing | 51.0408 |
| 2. | Will Davison |  |
Trading Post / Ford Performance Racing | + 0.0153 |
| 3. | Mark Winterbottom | |
Orrcon Steel / Ford Performance Racing | + 0.0446 |
| 4. | Shane van Gisbergen | |
SP Tools / Stone Brothers Racing | + 0.0698 |
| 5. | Jamie Whincup | |
Team Vodafone / Triple 8 Racing | + 0.0881 |
| 6. | David Reynolds | |
The Bottle-O Racing Team / Rod Nash | + 0.1581 |
| 7. | Garth Tander | |
TOLL / Holden Racing Team | + 0.1754 |
| 8. | Lee Holdsworth | |
Irwin Racing / Stone Brothers Racing | + 0.1816 |
| 9. | Tim Slade | |
Lucky 7 Racing / Stone Brothers Racing | + 0.1869 |
| 10. | Jonathon Webb | |
Tekno Autosports | + 0.2549 |
| 11. | Alexandre Prémat | |
Fujitsu Racing / Garry Rogers Motorsport | + 0.3155 |
| 12. | James Courtney | |
TOLL / Holden Racing Team | + 0.3417 |
| 13. | Steven Johnson | |
Jim Beam Racing / Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.4037 |
| 14. | Tony D’Alberto | |
Tony D’Alberto Racing | + 0.4053 |
| 15. | Rick Kelly | |
Jack Daniel’s / Kelly Racing | + 0.4053 |
| 16. | Taz Douglas | |
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport | + 0.4361 |
| 17. | Fabian Coulthard | |
Lockwood Racing / Brad Jones Racing | + 0.4370 |
| 18. | James Moffat | |
Team Norton / Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.4518 |
| 19. | Todd Kelly | |
Jack Daniel’s / Kelly Racing | + 0.4666 |
| 20. | Steve Owen | |
VIP Petfoods / Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.4730 |
| 21. | Michael Patrizi | |
Tekno Autosports | + 0.4772 |
| 22. | Michael Caruso | |
Fujitsu Racing / Garry Rogers Motorsport | + 0.4902 |
| 23. | Dean Fiore | |
Jim Beam Racing / Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.6302 |
| 24. | Russell Ingall | |
Supercheap Auto / Walkinshaw Racing | + 0.6698 |
| 25. | Jason Bright | |
Team BOC / Brad Jones Racing | + 0.6809 |
| 26. | Karl Reindler | |
Fair Dinkum Sheds / Kelly Racing | + 0.7962 |
| 27. | David Russell | |
Pepsi Max Crew / Kelly Racing | + 0.8501 |
| 28. | David Wall | |
Wilson Security / Brad Jones Racing | + 1.0691 |
The afternoon sees the 28-car field undertake an 84-lap race, starting at 3:30pm AEST.
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Richard Bailey
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