Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Ryan Wood has claimed the pole position for Saturday’s Dunlop Series race in a shortened qualifying session this afternoon at the Adelaide 500.
The pole award is Wood’s third of the season, equalling championship leader Zak Best with one qualifying session left in 2023, coming at 7.20 pm this evening.
A best time of 1:20.1648 mid-way through the session remained at the top after a red flag was called after Brad Vaughan made heavy contact with the Turn 8 wall in the closing minutes.
Vaughan had set a purple first sector and looked set to challenge the lead but clipped the inside wall at the fast right-hander, sliding into the outside concrete barriers at speed. He was uninjured in the crash, but the session was declared to remove his car and return the barriers to their position.
Nash Morris qualified second fastest and starts from the Super2 front row for the first time in his career.
Best starts directly behind Wood, in third, next to Eggleston Motorsport’s Cooper Murray. Wood’s teammate Zach Bates qualified fifth and starts off the third row next to Kai Allen, who sits only 30 points behind Best in the championship standings.
Wood remains an outside chance of taking the title but needs Best and Allen to both have difficult rounds should he overturn a 231-point gap to the top.
The Dunlop Series returns to action at 7.20 pm for their second qualifying run, which will set the grid for Sunday’s season-finale. Saturday’s race begins at 3.55 pm and will be shown live on Sky Sport 5.
