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Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai International Circuit
Tuesday 23rd of April 2024 19:00:00
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March 25, 2004
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Running order (based in reversed order from 2004 Australian Grand Prix Race)
Group 1 (5 cars) - Fretter, Ponissi, Forausberger, Liolias, Wagner
Group 2 (5 cars) - Aparicio, Brown, Goodley, Harding, Lock
Group 3 (6 cars) - Mihailovic, Loram, McConkey, Koski, Hunt, Irisarri
Group 4 (6 cars) - Loukasmäki, Maple, Elencevski, Jakonen, Sleight, Whiteman
Intro:
Hello and welcome to follow Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying at Sepang Circuit. This is round two for Formula 1 Virtual World Championship.
Group 1:
Fretter
Phoenix F1
Lap around the track & 1st car:
Teams and drivers are ready to start the qualifying and first car on the track will be Adam Fretter in Phoenix F1 car. Fretter will set the target for the rest of the group. While Fretter starts his lap we can follow him round the track. After the start finish line hard braking into tight hairpin right from 300kph down to 1st gear, which Adam takes nice and clean. Right after the hairpin right there is even tighter hairpin to the left, also taken in 1st great. Important is to get the car in and get clean exit for the following straight to turn 4. Turn 3 is actually straight going to right leading to turn 4. Hard on the brakes again for turn 4, 2nd gear right hander and Adam completes the first sector in 32.793 seconds. Now into fast left hander leading into fast right hand bend, these corners will be taken nearly flat out depending the setup and fuel level on the car. Phoenix car looks good and steady to drive as no extra work in cockpit. After turn 5 and 6 there is two right hander where line is important, these corners are taken in 4th or 5th gear. He is now approaching the tight uphill left hairpin, turn 9, this is tricky place, hard on the brakes and driver has to get the car in just in right line to be able to hit the gas as soon as possible. Adam takes it nicely, now uphill acceleration and back down few gears into right hander and that completes the 2nd sector in time of 1:04.994, now trough left kink taken flat out leading into maybe the most important braking on this track, very hard on brakes down to 2nd gear in this tightening right hander which leads to the back straight. Clean line and good exit are vital for good straight line speed, of course BHP's on the engine helps also. Fretter is approaching the final corner, also very hard on the brakes here down to 2nd gear from over 300kph, final corner and he is over the line. Clean lap for the Brit and lap time 1:35.814 good starter from Fretter, how high this will get him at the end?
Fretter Finish Line 1
1:35.814 0.000
Ponissi
Woods Racing
2nd car on the track is Willy Ponissi driving in Woods Racing Toyota. Over the line and clock starts to run. Ponissi looks to have some extra work in the cockpit, but he is pushing hard, first split 34.335. that's 1.542 slower than Fretter. Again small twitch on the back as he goes through turn 5 and 6. 2nd split time is 1:06.981 that's nearly 2 seconds off Fretter's pace, is he must be running on heavier car, that could explain the slides on the corners and lost time. Ponissi is already turning into start finish straight and stops the clock stops at 1:38.460, he lost some time in the last sector also and is 2.646 seconds slower than Fretter and he goes into 2nd place.
Ponissi Finish Line 2
1:38.490 +2.646
Forausberger
MMRT
3rd car on the track is Cristian Forausberger in MMRT outfit. Forausberger looks to have easier job in his car than Ponissi just had, first split time is 33.068 he is just 0.275 behind Fretter there, now it will be interesting to see what he can do on 2nd sector. No visible mistakes and time is 1:06.172, that's 1.178 seconds slower the Fretter there, looks like the Phoenix F1 driver set pretty good time. Forausberger is over the line and clock stops at the time of 1:37.479 that's 1.665 seconds slower than Fretter and he goes to p2 dropping Ponissi now to 3rd.
Forausberger Finish Line 2
1:37.479 +1.665
Liolias
Puma F1
4th driver is Marek Liolias driving underpowered Puma F1 car, some estimates says they have about 800bhp where some top engines go as high as 860bhp, that's a massive disadvantage for Puma F1 team drivers. First sector time 33.297, that's 0.504 seconds slower the Fretter and 3rd quickest sector time so far. Liolias is really driving the wheels off his Puma F1 car, he is right on the limit but keeps it nicely on the track, what will the 2nd split time be&ldots; 1:06.086, he has lost another half of a second to Fretter but that's better split time than Forausberger just did, this could be p2 for the Liolias. Over the line and time is 1:37.312 and 2nd place at the moment, but 1.498 seconds behind Fretter. Phoenix F1 driver really set good lap time opening this qualifying session.
Liolias Finish Line 2
1:37.312 +1.498
Wagner
Puma F1
5th and last car on group one is Liolias team mate Andreas Wagner. Liolias lap time was 1:37.312 how can the Swiss driver compete against it. First split is 32.8 only 0.007 behind Fretter. This is good stuff from Wagner, but can he hold on 2nd sector on that pace? 1:05.003 and he is only 0.009 behind, now it's the few hard breakings which will be important and the long back straight and as we know Puma F1 car really lacks the top speed due low BHP on their Porsche engine. Over the line he goes and lap time is 1:35.915, wow, that was close, but Fretter still holds the first place by 0.101 seconds.
Wagner Finish Line 2
1:35.915 +0.101
After the first group of five cars the order is: Fretter, Wagner, Liolias, Forausberger and Ponissi.
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Group 2 (Aparicio, Brown, Goodley, Harding, Lock)
Aparicio
Simsoa
6th car on track and first car on this second group is the white and green Simsoa Cosworth outfit driven by Spaniard Javier Aparicio. Maybe a bit wide on the 2nd corner, but nothing too serious there, over the first split time point and he is 0.779 behind Fretter, maybe that mistake cost him a bit of time. Now he keeps the car inline nicely and 2nd split time will tell can he catch Fretter and challenge the top places. 1:05.610 yes he sets new record time on 2nd sector and is now 0.616 seconds behind Fretter. Over the line in of 1:36.808, he lost some time on last sector again after good 2nd sector. 0.994 seconds slower and he goes to 3rd so far.
Aparicio Finish Line 3
1:36.808 +0.994
Brown
Simsoa
2nd car on this group is driven by David Brown, Aparicio's team mate, what we just saw on track. David keeps it nice and tidy in the first tight corners. 1st split 33.013 he is just over 2 tenths behind Fretter and over half of a second faster than his team mate there. Aparicio was fast on 2nd sector so will Brown really challenge the Fretter's pole time or are Simsoa drivers using different setups? New sector record for Brown and he is only 0.010 seconds of Fretter now, Wagner was also very close to Fretter but the Renault power was too much for Wagner, what can Brown do with Cosworth power. Over the line and he goes 3rd dropping his team mate to 4th. Grown's lap time 1:35.976 is 0.162 seconds slower than Fretter who holds the p1 still.
Brown Finish Line 3
1:35.976 +0.162
Order so far: Fretter, Wagner, Brown, Aparicio, Liolias, Forausberger and Ponissi.
Goodley
Woods Racing
8th car on the track is Chris Goodley and the 2nd Woods Racing - Toyota car. He looks aggressive on the first corners, what will the split time be? 32.743 he sets new record there and is 0.050 seconds faster than Fretter. What can Goodley do on the 2nd sector, can he hold on? 1:04.927 yes he can, not a sector record but he extends slightly his advantage to Fretter, it's now 0.067 seconds. With the long back straight to go, this can still go to Fretter, he was so strong on the last sector. Over the line and Goodley goes to 2nd, only 0.017 seconds separating the top-2 at the moment this is real nail biter. People at Phoenix F1 garage is thrilled with the qualifying session so far and Fretter holds the P1 still. 0.017 seconds, that's absolutely nothing, but really good effort from Goodley, I'm not sure will he be happy for that as it was so close.
Goodley Finish Line 2
1:35.831 +0.017
Harding
SCUM
9th car is Peter Harding driving SCUM - Holden, first split time 33.733 that doesn't look too promising for him as he is already 0.940 seconds slower than fastest there, we will see what he does on the rest of the lap. 2nd split time 1:06.731, that's already 1.737 seconds behind Fretter, maybe he is on heavier car and on 2 stops? Over the line in 1:38.156 that's 2.342 seconds off Fretter's lap time and good for 8th place at the moment.
Harding Finish Line 8
1:38.156 +2.342
Lock
JTM
10th car and last on group 2 is JTM driver Toby Lock, I can imagine Lock wasn't too pleased with his performance at the Melbourne race, but now we are at Sepang and next we will see what he can do. Will Fretter hang on the pole time after this lap too, split 1 32.407 that's new sector record and 0.386 seconds faster than Fretter, this is looking good for the JTM driver. Toby is really pushing the car to the limit, this will be fast lap from him for sure. 2nd split 1:04.352 that is also sector record and gap is now up to 0.642 seconds. I'm sure he will take the p1 from Fretter at the line if he doesn't too mistake on last corners. Over the line and lap time is 1:35.181 that's 0.633 seconds faster than Fretter, but Fretter still has the fastest last sector time.
Lock Finish Line 1
1:35.181 -0.633
After 2nd group of car the order is: Lock, Fretter, Goodley, Wagner, Brown, Aparicio, Liolias, Forausberger, Harding and Ponissi.
Still 12 cars to drive, we will be right back after this short break!
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Welcome back, after 10 drivers have completed their qualifying, order is: Lock, Fretter, Goodley, Wagner, Brown, Aparicio, Liolias, Forausberger, Harding and Ponissi.
Next Group 3 of six cars will be: Mihailovic, Loram, McConkey, Koski, Hunt and Irisarri
Mihailovic
MMRT
Miodrag Mihailovic starts his qualifying lap, 1st split 33.382 not looking too good for him as he is 0.975 seconds behind Lock after the first 3 corners, maybe he did small error somewhere. What he can do on 2nd sector, split time 1:05.376, much better as he lost almost nothing to Lock on that sector and is now 1.024 seconds behind, can he challenge Brown for 5th place? Lap time 1:36.676 that's 1.495 to Lock and he goes to 6th while Brown holds on for 5th.
Mihailovic Finish Line 6
1:36.676 +1.495
Loram
EIRE
Ross Loram is now on track in his EIRE Jaguar outfit. First split 32.562, that's 2nd best so far and he is only 0.155 seconds slower than Lock there. 2nd split 1:04.552, exactly 0.2 seconds to Lock. This looks to be p2 for him, if he can keep it under control on last corners. Yes, he goes to 2nd, lap time 1:35.360 he was slightly faster on last sector but not enough, 0.179 seconds to Lock's best lap time so far.
Loram Finish Line 2
1:35.360 +0.179
McConkey
MMC
Ryan McConkey starts his flying lap, McConkey was very fast on winter tests but lost several places near finish at Melbourne GP and was dropped out side the points, I'm sure he was hoping for much better result at the season opener than 10th. First split for him and he is only 0.020 behind Lock. Clean and fast through the fast corners on 2nd sector, he is approaching the 2nd split time now and stops the clock for 1:04.553, that's 0.201 slower than Lock, so he has lost some time on sector 2 but not much. MMC Racing is using BMW engines which are one of the most powerful engines out there or maybe the BHP leaders. Anyway, McConkey crosses the line and goes to 2nd place, only 0.095 off Lock's time.
McConkey Finish Line 2
1:35.276 +0.095
Koski
FinOz Racing
Kari Koski and the first FinOz is next on the track. FinOz had intensive 3 days tyre test at Barcelona and team was confident they can be competitive here, now we will see was that only talks. First split will tell a lot. Oh, he hits the inside curb quite hard there and car gets a bit sideways on the exit off turn 4, he is pushing really hard, but maybe just a bit too hard. Split time 32.709, that's 0.302 slower than Lock, not too good start. Now into sector 2, many fast sweeping corners which will really test the setup, balance and tires of the car. 2nd split and he is in front! What a 2nd sector he had, 1:03.998 and the he is now 0.354 in front of Lock. What can Koski do on final sector as FinOz has been complaining lack of top speed due their customer Ferrari engines is short of BHP. Short of BHP or not, lap time 1:34.489 is the new fastest lap and massive 0.692 seconds faster than Lock almost doubling his advantage on last sector. But is Koski on very low fuel load, we have to wait until race to see that.
Koski Finish Line 1
1:34.489 -0.692
Hunt
SCUM
15th car on track is Matt Hunt in 2nd SCUM car, his team mate Peter Harding is currently down on 14th place. Hunt scored one world championship point at the season opener, I'm sure team and driver was quite happy for that. First split 32.820 and he is 0.111 seconds slower than Koski there, but we have to remember Koski didn't set good 1st split time at all. After 2nd sector the gap is up to 0.642 seconds, this is still good lap from Hunt as he can go to top-3. Over the line he goes, 1:35.136 that's 0.647 to Koski and he goes 2nd beating Lock by 0.045 seconds, very good last sector from Matt.
Hunt Finish Line 2
1:35.136 +0.647
Irisarri
Phoenix F1
2nd Phoenix F1 driver is Antonio Irisarri, he is also last driver on this group. First sector, 32.566 that's 0.143 seconds faster than pole man Koski set. 2nd sector doesn't go as fast as FinOz driver, 1:04.525 and gap is up to 0.527 seconds, but he is there up with Lock, McConkey, Loram and Hunt. Over the line and he goes to 3rd, lap time 1:35.274 is 0.785 seconds slower than pole man Koski's time.
Irisarri Finish Line 3
1:35.274 +0.785
16 gone and Koski holds the pole position with 6 drivers to go.
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Group 4 (Loukasmäki, Maple, Elencevski, Jakonen, Sleight, Whiteman) Loukasmäki
Mapes-VO
Loukasmäki and first of Mapes-Vo cars gets the green light at the pitlane exit.
Loukasmäki finished 6th at the Melbourne race, can he beat the fellow fin currently holding the p1?
Decent sector one for him, 32.814 that's 0.105 off Koski, what will be the gap after 2nd sector? Car looks to be understeering quite a lot into fast corners, 2nd split 1:05.194 and is nearly 1.2 seconds of the pace there. Over the line in 1:36.057 and he goes down to 11th place, either he had some problems with the car or he must be on different strategy than the FinOz driver.
Loukasmäki Finish Line 11
1:36.057 +1.568
Maple
JTM
Maple is always pushing hard and at the Melbourne qualifying he was 2nd quickest so he can really threat the fastest time set by Kari Koski. On Melbourne race Maple had to give up few places and when the chequered flag was out he was on 5th place. 1st split 32.279 he is 0.430 seconds faster than Koski, this looks promising for the JTM driver. 2nd sector&ldots;.oh 1:04.086 and he has lost his advantage! He is now 0.088 behind! JTM with slightly more powerful Ferrari engine should have advantage on long back straight but we have to remember Koski was almost 4 tenths quicker on last sector than Lock earlier, what can Maple do? Over the line and he goes to 2nd! Only 0.050 seconds slower than Koski, great lap from Maple, but superb lap from Koski I have to say, specially his 2nd sector was something unbelievable. But still 4 drivers to go, anything can happen.
Maple Finish Line 2
1:34.539 +0.050
Elencevski
FinOz Racing
First of the remaining drivers is Steve Elencevski, 4th at the Melbourne "home race", if Koski was able to pull that kind of lap time, what can Steve do.
Split 1, 32.165 that's new record and 0.544 seconds faster than his team mate in 3 corners! 2nd sector looks to be clean for the Aussie, 1:03.525 he has lost a bit there but still 0.473 in front. He will take the p1 from his team mate. Over the line 1:33.837 and new fastest lap from him as he is the first one to go under 1min34 barrier and massive 0.652 seconds faster than his team mate, great lap from Steve once again, he is really showing who is number one in that team.
Elencevski Finish Line 1
1:33.837 -0.652
1-2 for FinOz team, at the moment still 3 cars to go. First of those is Jakonen on Mapes-Vo car, Jakonen's team mate Loukasmäki is way back on 13th place, so what can Mikko do?
Jakonen
Mapes-VO
First split 32.277, he is 0.112 behind Steve, 2nd sector 1:03.799 and gap is now up to 0.274 seconds, this looks good only for 2nd place if he can't pull out something extra special for last few corners. Over the line he goes, lap time 1:34.257 that's 0.420 seconds slower than Elencevski and he goes 2nd at the moment.
Jakonen Finish Line 2
1:34.257 +0.420
2 to go, Paul Sleight in 2nd MMC car, he was on pole at the Melbourne, what he can do here?
Sleight
MMC Racing
First split 32.719 doesn't look too promising for him, already 0.554 behind Elencevski, I didn't notice any driving errors. We have to wait to 2nd split time so see what direction the gap is going, can he still catch Elencevski? 2nd split time is 1:04.734 and gap is now up to 1.2 seconds, he must be on heavier car as first of Mapes-VO cars, Loukasmäki, was earlier. Sleight goes over the line - 1:35.547 and he goes to 10th place, 1.710 seconds slower than FinOz driver.
Sleight Finish Line 10
1:35.547 +1.710
Elencevski, Jakonen, Koski, Maple, Hunt and Lock, that's the top-6 with one driver, Melbourne winner, Scott Whiteman still to go. Whiteman
EIRE
First split 31.935 that's new record, he is only one getting under 32 seconds there and he is 0.230 seconds in front of Elencevski. 2nd sector and he is keeping it nice and tidy, approaching the 2nd split time, Elencevski wasn't the fastest there, but what direction the gap will go? 1:03.133 and gap is now 0.392 seconds, this looks to be pole from him, although we have to remember there are still few very tricky brakings to do. Turn 13 goes nicely and turn 14 small lock up there, but gets the car in, no problem there, he is using perfectly the whole track. Good exit to the back straight with one corner to go, will it be Whiteman or Elencevski on pole? Good braking and he gets the car in nicely and over the line he goes - lap time 1:33.593 he has done it! Pole position by 0.244 seconds gap to Elencevski. Celebrations at the EIRE team while Whiteman waves to the fans and celebrates the pole position. Elencevski and the whole FinOz team doesn't look to be too upset, actually far from it, it was superb qualifying from them, both cars in first 2 rows.
Whiteman Finish Line 1
1:33.593 -0.244
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1 Whiteman 1:33.593
2 Elencevski +0.244
3 Jakonen +0.664
4 Koski +0.896
5 Maple +0.946
6 Hunt +1.543
7 Lock +1.588
8 Irisarri +1.681
9 McConkey +1.683
10 Loram +1.767
11 Sleight +1.954
12 Fretter +2.221
13 Goodley +2.238
14 Wagner +2.322
15 Brown +2.383
16 Loukasmäki +2.464
17 Mihailovic +3.083
18 Aparicio +3.215
19 Liolias +3.719
20 Forausberger +3.886
21 Harding +4.563
22 Ponissi +4.869
Poleposition development
Fretter Finish Line
1:35.814 0.000
Lock Finish Line
1:35.181 -0.633
Koski Finish Line
1:34.489 -0.692
Elencevski Finish Line
1:33.837 -0.652
Whiteman Finish Line
1:33.593 -0.244
Group 1 (5 cars) - Fretter, Ponissi, Forausberger, Liolias, Wagner
Group 2 (5 cars) - Aparicio, Brown, Goodley, Harding, Lock
Group 3 (6 cars) - Mihailovic, Loram, McConkey, Koski, Hunt, Irisarri
Group 4 (6 cars) - Loukasmäki, Maple, Elencevski, Jakonen, Sleight, Whiteman
Intro:
Hello and welcome to follow Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying at Sepang Circuit. This is round two for Formula 1 Virtual World Championship.
Group 1:
Fretter
Phoenix F1
Lap around the track & 1st car:
Teams and drivers are ready to start the qualifying and first car on the track will be Adam Fretter in Phoenix F1 car. Fretter will set the target for the rest of the group. While Fretter starts his lap we can follow him round the track. After the start finish line hard braking into tight hairpin right from 300kph down to 1st gear, which Adam takes nice and clean. Right after the hairpin right there is even tighter hairpin to the left, also taken in 1st great. Important is to get the car in and get clean exit for the following straight to turn 4. Turn 3 is actually straight going to right leading to turn 4. Hard on the brakes again for turn 4, 2nd gear right hander and Adam completes the first sector in 32.793 seconds. Now into fast left hander leading into fast right hand bend, these corners will be taken nearly flat out depending the setup and fuel level on the car. Phoenix car looks good and steady to drive as no extra work in cockpit. After turn 5 and 6 there is two right hander where line is important, these corners are taken in 4th or 5th gear. He is now approaching the tight uphill left hairpin, turn 9, this is tricky place, hard on the brakes and driver has to get the car in just in right line to be able to hit the gas as soon as possible. Adam takes it nicely, now uphill acceleration and back down few gears into right hander and that completes the 2nd sector in time of 1:04.994, now trough left kink taken flat out leading into maybe the most important braking on this track, very hard on brakes down to 2nd gear in this tightening right hander which leads to the back straight. Clean line and good exit are vital for good straight line speed, of course BHP's on the engine helps also. Fretter is approaching the final corner, also very hard on the brakes here down to 2nd gear from over 300kph, final corner and he is over the line. Clean lap for the Brit and lap time 1:35.814 good starter from Fretter, how high this will get him at the end?
Fretter Finish Line 1
1:35.814 0.000
Ponissi
Woods Racing
2nd car on the track is Willy Ponissi driving in Woods Racing Toyota. Over the line and clock starts to run. Ponissi looks to have some extra work in the cockpit, but he is pushing hard, first split 34.335. that's 1.542 slower than Fretter. Again small twitch on the back as he goes through turn 5 and 6. 2nd split time is 1:06.981 that's nearly 2 seconds off Fretter's pace, is he must be running on heavier car, that could explain the slides on the corners and lost time. Ponissi is already turning into start finish straight and stops the clock stops at 1:38.460, he lost some time in the last sector also and is 2.646 seconds slower than Fretter and he goes into 2nd place.
Ponissi Finish Line 2
1:38.490 +2.646
Forausberger
MMRT
3rd car on the track is Cristian Forausberger in MMRT outfit. Forausberger looks to have easier job in his car than Ponissi just had, first split time is 33.068 he is just 0.275 behind Fretter there, now it will be interesting to see what he can do on 2nd sector. No visible mistakes and time is 1:06.172, that's 1.178 seconds slower the Fretter there, looks like the Phoenix F1 driver set pretty good time. Forausberger is over the line and clock stops at the time of 1:37.479 that's 1.665 seconds slower than Fretter and he goes to p2 dropping Ponissi now to 3rd.
Forausberger Finish Line 2
1:37.479 +1.665
Liolias
Puma F1
4th driver is Marek Liolias driving underpowered Puma F1 car, some estimates says they have about 800bhp where some top engines go as high as 860bhp, that's a massive disadvantage for Puma F1 team drivers. First sector time 33.297, that's 0.504 seconds slower the Fretter and 3rd quickest sector time so far. Liolias is really driving the wheels off his Puma F1 car, he is right on the limit but keeps it nicely on the track, what will the 2nd split time be&ldots; 1:06.086, he has lost another half of a second to Fretter but that's better split time than Forausberger just did, this could be p2 for the Liolias. Over the line and time is 1:37.312 and 2nd place at the moment, but 1.498 seconds behind Fretter. Phoenix F1 driver really set good lap time opening this qualifying session.
Liolias Finish Line 2
1:37.312 +1.498
Wagner
Puma F1
5th and last car on group one is Liolias team mate Andreas Wagner. Liolias lap time was 1:37.312 how can the Swiss driver compete against it. First split is 32.8 only 0.007 behind Fretter. This is good stuff from Wagner, but can he hold on 2nd sector on that pace? 1:05.003 and he is only 0.009 behind, now it's the few hard breakings which will be important and the long back straight and as we know Puma F1 car really lacks the top speed due low BHP on their Porsche engine. Over the line he goes and lap time is 1:35.915, wow, that was close, but Fretter still holds the first place by 0.101 seconds.
Wagner Finish Line 2
1:35.915 +0.101
After the first group of five cars the order is: Fretter, Wagner, Liolias, Forausberger and Ponissi.
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Group 2 (Aparicio, Brown, Goodley, Harding, Lock)
Aparicio
Simsoa
6th car on track and first car on this second group is the white and green Simsoa Cosworth outfit driven by Spaniard Javier Aparicio. Maybe a bit wide on the 2nd corner, but nothing too serious there, over the first split time point and he is 0.779 behind Fretter, maybe that mistake cost him a bit of time. Now he keeps the car inline nicely and 2nd split time will tell can he catch Fretter and challenge the top places. 1:05.610 yes he sets new record time on 2nd sector and is now 0.616 seconds behind Fretter. Over the line in of 1:36.808, he lost some time on last sector again after good 2nd sector. 0.994 seconds slower and he goes to 3rd so far.
Aparicio Finish Line 3
1:36.808 +0.994
Brown
Simsoa
2nd car on this group is driven by David Brown, Aparicio's team mate, what we just saw on track. David keeps it nice and tidy in the first tight corners. 1st split 33.013 he is just over 2 tenths behind Fretter and over half of a second faster than his team mate there. Aparicio was fast on 2nd sector so will Brown really challenge the Fretter's pole time or are Simsoa drivers using different setups? New sector record for Brown and he is only 0.010 seconds of Fretter now, Wagner was also very close to Fretter but the Renault power was too much for Wagner, what can Brown do with Cosworth power. Over the line and he goes 3rd dropping his team mate to 4th. Grown's lap time 1:35.976 is 0.162 seconds slower than Fretter who holds the p1 still.
Brown Finish Line 3
1:35.976 +0.162
Order so far: Fretter, Wagner, Brown, Aparicio, Liolias, Forausberger and Ponissi.
Goodley
Woods Racing
8th car on the track is Chris Goodley and the 2nd Woods Racing - Toyota car. He looks aggressive on the first corners, what will the split time be? 32.743 he sets new record there and is 0.050 seconds faster than Fretter. What can Goodley do on the 2nd sector, can he hold on? 1:04.927 yes he can, not a sector record but he extends slightly his advantage to Fretter, it's now 0.067 seconds. With the long back straight to go, this can still go to Fretter, he was so strong on the last sector. Over the line and Goodley goes to 2nd, only 0.017 seconds separating the top-2 at the moment this is real nail biter. People at Phoenix F1 garage is thrilled with the qualifying session so far and Fretter holds the P1 still. 0.017 seconds, that's absolutely nothing, but really good effort from Goodley, I'm not sure will he be happy for that as it was so close.
Goodley Finish Line 2
1:35.831 +0.017
Harding
SCUM
9th car is Peter Harding driving SCUM - Holden, first split time 33.733 that doesn't look too promising for him as he is already 0.940 seconds slower than fastest there, we will see what he does on the rest of the lap. 2nd split time 1:06.731, that's already 1.737 seconds behind Fretter, maybe he is on heavier car and on 2 stops? Over the line in 1:38.156 that's 2.342 seconds off Fretter's lap time and good for 8th place at the moment.
Harding Finish Line 8
1:38.156 +2.342
Lock
JTM
10th car and last on group 2 is JTM driver Toby Lock, I can imagine Lock wasn't too pleased with his performance at the Melbourne race, but now we are at Sepang and next we will see what he can do. Will Fretter hang on the pole time after this lap too, split 1 32.407 that's new sector record and 0.386 seconds faster than Fretter, this is looking good for the JTM driver. Toby is really pushing the car to the limit, this will be fast lap from him for sure. 2nd split 1:04.352 that is also sector record and gap is now up to 0.642 seconds. I'm sure he will take the p1 from Fretter at the line if he doesn't too mistake on last corners. Over the line and lap time is 1:35.181 that's 0.633 seconds faster than Fretter, but Fretter still has the fastest last sector time.
Lock Finish Line 1
1:35.181 -0.633
After 2nd group of car the order is: Lock, Fretter, Goodley, Wagner, Brown, Aparicio, Liolias, Forausberger, Harding and Ponissi.
Still 12 cars to drive, we will be right back after this short break!
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Welcome back, after 10 drivers have completed their qualifying, order is: Lock, Fretter, Goodley, Wagner, Brown, Aparicio, Liolias, Forausberger, Harding and Ponissi.
Next Group 3 of six cars will be: Mihailovic, Loram, McConkey, Koski, Hunt and Irisarri
Mihailovic
MMRT
Miodrag Mihailovic starts his qualifying lap, 1st split 33.382 not looking too good for him as he is 0.975 seconds behind Lock after the first 3 corners, maybe he did small error somewhere. What he can do on 2nd sector, split time 1:05.376, much better as he lost almost nothing to Lock on that sector and is now 1.024 seconds behind, can he challenge Brown for 5th place? Lap time 1:36.676 that's 1.495 to Lock and he goes to 6th while Brown holds on for 5th.
Mihailovic Finish Line 6
1:36.676 +1.495
Loram
EIRE
Ross Loram is now on track in his EIRE Jaguar outfit. First split 32.562, that's 2nd best so far and he is only 0.155 seconds slower than Lock there. 2nd split 1:04.552, exactly 0.2 seconds to Lock. This looks to be p2 for him, if he can keep it under control on last corners. Yes, he goes to 2nd, lap time 1:35.360 he was slightly faster on last sector but not enough, 0.179 seconds to Lock's best lap time so far.
Loram Finish Line 2
1:35.360 +0.179
McConkey
MMC
Ryan McConkey starts his flying lap, McConkey was very fast on winter tests but lost several places near finish at Melbourne GP and was dropped out side the points, I'm sure he was hoping for much better result at the season opener than 10th. First split for him and he is only 0.020 behind Lock. Clean and fast through the fast corners on 2nd sector, he is approaching the 2nd split time now and stops the clock for 1:04.553, that's 0.201 slower than Lock, so he has lost some time on sector 2 but not much. MMC Racing is using BMW engines which are one of the most powerful engines out there or maybe the BHP leaders. Anyway, McConkey crosses the line and goes to 2nd place, only 0.095 off Lock's time.
McConkey Finish Line 2
1:35.276 +0.095
Koski
FinOz Racing
Kari Koski and the first FinOz is next on the track. FinOz had intensive 3 days tyre test at Barcelona and team was confident they can be competitive here, now we will see was that only talks. First split will tell a lot. Oh, he hits the inside curb quite hard there and car gets a bit sideways on the exit off turn 4, he is pushing really hard, but maybe just a bit too hard. Split time 32.709, that's 0.302 slower than Lock, not too good start. Now into sector 2, many fast sweeping corners which will really test the setup, balance and tires of the car. 2nd split and he is in front! What a 2nd sector he had, 1:03.998 and the he is now 0.354 in front of Lock. What can Koski do on final sector as FinOz has been complaining lack of top speed due their customer Ferrari engines is short of BHP. Short of BHP or not, lap time 1:34.489 is the new fastest lap and massive 0.692 seconds faster than Lock almost doubling his advantage on last sector. But is Koski on very low fuel load, we have to wait until race to see that.
Koski Finish Line 1
1:34.489 -0.692
Hunt
SCUM
15th car on track is Matt Hunt in 2nd SCUM car, his team mate Peter Harding is currently down on 14th place. Hunt scored one world championship point at the season opener, I'm sure team and driver was quite happy for that. First split 32.820 and he is 0.111 seconds slower than Koski there, but we have to remember Koski didn't set good 1st split time at all. After 2nd sector the gap is up to 0.642 seconds, this is still good lap from Hunt as he can go to top-3. Over the line he goes, 1:35.136 that's 0.647 to Koski and he goes 2nd beating Lock by 0.045 seconds, very good last sector from Matt.
Hunt Finish Line 2
1:35.136 +0.647
Irisarri
Phoenix F1
2nd Phoenix F1 driver is Antonio Irisarri, he is also last driver on this group. First sector, 32.566 that's 0.143 seconds faster than pole man Koski set. 2nd sector doesn't go as fast as FinOz driver, 1:04.525 and gap is up to 0.527 seconds, but he is there up with Lock, McConkey, Loram and Hunt. Over the line and he goes to 3rd, lap time 1:35.274 is 0.785 seconds slower than pole man Koski's time.
Irisarri Finish Line 3
1:35.274 +0.785
16 gone and Koski holds the pole position with 6 drivers to go.
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Group 4 (Loukasmäki, Maple, Elencevski, Jakonen, Sleight, Whiteman) Loukasmäki
Mapes-VO
Loukasmäki and first of Mapes-Vo cars gets the green light at the pitlane exit.
Loukasmäki finished 6th at the Melbourne race, can he beat the fellow fin currently holding the p1?
Decent sector one for him, 32.814 that's 0.105 off Koski, what will be the gap after 2nd sector? Car looks to be understeering quite a lot into fast corners, 2nd split 1:05.194 and is nearly 1.2 seconds of the pace there. Over the line in 1:36.057 and he goes down to 11th place, either he had some problems with the car or he must be on different strategy than the FinOz driver.
Loukasmäki Finish Line 11
1:36.057 +1.568
Maple
JTM
Maple is always pushing hard and at the Melbourne qualifying he was 2nd quickest so he can really threat the fastest time set by Kari Koski. On Melbourne race Maple had to give up few places and when the chequered flag was out he was on 5th place. 1st split 32.279 he is 0.430 seconds faster than Koski, this looks promising for the JTM driver. 2nd sector&ldots;.oh 1:04.086 and he has lost his advantage! He is now 0.088 behind! JTM with slightly more powerful Ferrari engine should have advantage on long back straight but we have to remember Koski was almost 4 tenths quicker on last sector than Lock earlier, what can Maple do? Over the line and he goes to 2nd! Only 0.050 seconds slower than Koski, great lap from Maple, but superb lap from Koski I have to say, specially his 2nd sector was something unbelievable. But still 4 drivers to go, anything can happen.
Maple Finish Line 2
1:34.539 +0.050
Elencevski
FinOz Racing
First of the remaining drivers is Steve Elencevski, 4th at the Melbourne "home race", if Koski was able to pull that kind of lap time, what can Steve do.
Split 1, 32.165 that's new record and 0.544 seconds faster than his team mate in 3 corners! 2nd sector looks to be clean for the Aussie, 1:03.525 he has lost a bit there but still 0.473 in front. He will take the p1 from his team mate. Over the line 1:33.837 and new fastest lap from him as he is the first one to go under 1min34 barrier and massive 0.652 seconds faster than his team mate, great lap from Steve once again, he is really showing who is number one in that team.
Elencevski Finish Line 1
1:33.837 -0.652
1-2 for FinOz team, at the moment still 3 cars to go. First of those is Jakonen on Mapes-Vo car, Jakonen's team mate Loukasmäki is way back on 13th place, so what can Mikko do?
Jakonen
Mapes-VO
First split 32.277, he is 0.112 behind Steve, 2nd sector 1:03.799 and gap is now up to 0.274 seconds, this looks good only for 2nd place if he can't pull out something extra special for last few corners. Over the line he goes, lap time 1:34.257 that's 0.420 seconds slower than Elencevski and he goes 2nd at the moment.
Jakonen Finish Line 2
1:34.257 +0.420
2 to go, Paul Sleight in 2nd MMC car, he was on pole at the Melbourne, what he can do here?
Sleight
MMC Racing
First split 32.719 doesn't look too promising for him, already 0.554 behind Elencevski, I didn't notice any driving errors. We have to wait to 2nd split time so see what direction the gap is going, can he still catch Elencevski? 2nd split time is 1:04.734 and gap is now up to 1.2 seconds, he must be on heavier car as first of Mapes-VO cars, Loukasmäki, was earlier. Sleight goes over the line - 1:35.547 and he goes to 10th place, 1.710 seconds slower than FinOz driver.
Sleight Finish Line 10
1:35.547 +1.710
Elencevski, Jakonen, Koski, Maple, Hunt and Lock, that's the top-6 with one driver, Melbourne winner, Scott Whiteman still to go. Whiteman
EIRE
First split 31.935 that's new record, he is only one getting under 32 seconds there and he is 0.230 seconds in front of Elencevski. 2nd sector and he is keeping it nice and tidy, approaching the 2nd split time, Elencevski wasn't the fastest there, but what direction the gap will go? 1:03.133 and gap is now 0.392 seconds, this looks to be pole from him, although we have to remember there are still few very tricky brakings to do. Turn 13 goes nicely and turn 14 small lock up there, but gets the car in, no problem there, he is using perfectly the whole track. Good exit to the back straight with one corner to go, will it be Whiteman or Elencevski on pole? Good braking and he gets the car in nicely and over the line he goes - lap time 1:33.593 he has done it! Pole position by 0.244 seconds gap to Elencevski. Celebrations at the EIRE team while Whiteman waves to the fans and celebrates the pole position. Elencevski and the whole FinOz team doesn't look to be too upset, actually far from it, it was superb qualifying from them, both cars in first 2 rows.
Whiteman Finish Line 1
1:33.593 -0.244
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1 Whiteman 1:33.593
2 Elencevski +0.244
3 Jakonen +0.664
4 Koski +0.896
5 Maple +0.946
6 Hunt +1.543
7 Lock +1.588
8 Irisarri +1.681
9 McConkey +1.683
10 Loram +1.767
11 Sleight +1.954
12 Fretter +2.221
13 Goodley +2.238
14 Wagner +2.322
15 Brown +2.383
16 Loukasmäki +2.464
17 Mihailovic +3.083
18 Aparicio +3.215
19 Liolias +3.719
20 Forausberger +3.886
21 Harding +4.563
22 Ponissi +4.869
Poleposition development
Fretter Finish Line
1:35.814 0.000
Lock Finish Line
1:35.181 -0.633
Koski Finish Line
1:34.489 -0.692
Elencevski Finish Line
1:33.837 -0.652
Whiteman Finish Line
1:33.593 -0.244
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