Ryan Wood can win the 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge today, and the equation is simple: Outscore Thomas Sargent by 32 points to be crowned champion.
He started that off perfectly at Phillip Island yesterday, taking pole position ahead of season-long rival Sargent to set up a scintillating day of racing.
The pole position makes it six from six for the year for the Kiwi, an incredible feat in a field full of talent.
A flying lap of 1min 30.9661sec was what it took for the Team Porsche New Zealand driver to take top spot, eclipsing Sargent by .26 of a second.
A quarter of a second is a decent margin in qualifying, but the manner in which it happened showcased how well Wood can perform under pressure.
Midway through the session the gap was just .01 between the pair, the Kiwi to the better. It was only after they stopped to take new tyres that Wood improved, whilst Sargent did not.
“Its great to get six poles from all six races this year, it’s a good way to start the weekend,” said Wood.
“We had trouble in practice with a couple of gremlins that crept in, but at the end of the day we did it when it mattered. Looking forward to tomorrow, we just need some luck to go our way finally. In terms of the Championship, all I can do is try get all the wins and pole for the extra point and see what happens in the end.”
It sets up today’s racing perfectly, the concluding battle to a season-long rivalry which has seen the two win every race between them, bar one.
Sargent is to the better from his early season form, a fuel-pump failure for the Kiwi at The Bend also seeing him record a DNF and losing points.
He’s bounced back strongly since, however, including with a round win at Bathurst last race weekend.
He’ll need some fortune if he is to pull off the series victory today, however, Sargent in the box seat ahead of the three races.
Race 1 begins at 11.30am, Race 2 is at 2.30pm and the season-ending Race 3 at 5.30pm.
All races will be shown live on the Blend Line TV Youtube page.
