Russell Jamieson Takes Pole Position Australian Superkart Championships
from Mark Jones
Russell Jamieson lowered his pole position time taking pole position off Warren McIlveen for the final qualifying session of 2011 at the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships.
The Coach Design Anderson-DEA (right) trimmed four tenths out of the Qualifying 1 lap time to record a 1:32.5263 lap time. Warren McIlveen also went faster, dropping into the 1:33 bracket in the Mac's Marine Stockman-Honda, pushing Jason Smith off the front row in the Fuji Xerox Anderson-FPE. Four tenths behind Smith is 2009 champion Sam Zavaglia in his Stockman-Yamaha.
Increasing the tale of the race will be about tyre management with blistering tyres occurring throughout the field, regardless of class. The hottest race meeting of the season at Phillip Island combined with its renowned abrusive surface is causing more than a few scratched heads.
The Safe Evolutions team has other problems and the reigning champion Darren Hossack will start 20th as an all day engine rebuild prevented him from qualifying, despite setting a lap time faster than Zavaglia in practice.
Gary Pegoraro went faster in the Dunlop Kartsport/BRC Engines Anderson-BRC but did not improve his grid position, falling just two hundredths of a second short of Zavaglia. He will start fifth alongside Anton Stevens in the www.artmotorsport.com.au PVP-FPE.
Kristian Stebbing dramatically improved the Suburban Accounting Stockman-Yamaha to be seventh ahead of Steven Tamasi (Domain Prestige Homes Stockman-Honda), Carlo Chermaz (Buildersmile Constructions SKE-DEA) and Brett Purdie Martelco Equipment Hire PVP-Yamaha).
Joining Hossack in mechanical woes was Stuart Kostera in the Denture Professionals Zip-BRC, a fluid leak behind the clutch leading to an engine change at the Zip BDH pits and the Produciton Car champion will start 17th.
Luke May in the STR Truck Bodies Anderson-Honda is six tenths of a second clear in the 250 National bracket over his 2010 championship rival Martin Latta (Viper Racing UK/MJR Bricklaying Anderson-Honda). Dalton Rowell will start third in the DLR Racing Stockman-Honda ahead of Brendan Luneman (Soma Building Services/Wizzer Engines Anderson-Yamaha).
The Stebbing family improved across the board with Brad Stebbing putting a wretched Eastern Creek behind him to secure 125cc pole position in the second of the Suburban Accounting Stockman-Yamahas. Stebbing is three tenths faster than series points leader Jeff Reed in the Stockman-Honda, five tenths up on Tim Philp (Floth Sustainable Building Consultants Avoig-Honda) and 1.1 seconds ahead of Rod Conn's Arconn Refrigeration Stockman-Honda.
In the class within a class Stock-Honda Paul Degan's BRM was fastest, a tenth up on the Persas Arrow X1 of Mark Vickers and Degan Labour Options team mate Mike Wayne (Arrow X1).
