Alice Buckley showcased impressive speed during qualifying, clocking in two tenths of a second faster than her competitors. [IMAGE0CONTEXT:bmw_986] The 17-year-old made a remarkable debut in the category at Round 3 of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series, where she not only secured pole position but also celebrated a victory. Buckley demonstrated her pace right from the start of the qualifying session for the Driver 1 grid positions, which included a mix of regular series drivers and a few guests. On her fourth lap, she recorded a time of 1:11.986, becoming the only driver to break the 1:12 mark. “We thought we would be quick but didn’t think we would be faster than everyone,” she remarked. “I think being out in the earlier session helped, but it is all good – no complaints here.”
Teammate and mentor Tim Slade, who was the fastest in practice, finished third in his qualifying session, trailing James Golding, who shared a Ford Mustang with Lachlan Evennett, the latter securing third place in Q1. Trans Am points leader Todd Hazelwood took third in Q2, driving the Josh Thomas Mustang after finishing Q1 in 12th place. Jarrod Hughes, who was recovering from a painful shoulder injury sustained in a Super2 crash the previous weekend, finished second in the first session. His Camaro had its gearbox replaced after practice, while his teammate Craig Lowndes ended up 14th in the second qualifier.
In another notable performance, Tom Davies and Nathan Herne, sharing a Camaro, both finished fourth in their respective sessions. Davies led a group that included Ben Gomersall, Brock Paine, Graham Cheney, Diesel Thomas, Clay Richards, and Lee Stibbs, with Stibbs rounding out the top ten. In Q2, Brodie Kostecki, driving a Mustang with Paul Morris, secured fifth place ahead of Jordan Cox in Mark Crutcher’s Mustang, Nash Morris with Diesel Thomas, Declan Fraser with Hayden Jackson, Aaron Seton with Gomersall, and Ben Bargwanna with Richards.
Each team has a 12-tyre allocation for the weekend, which includes a sprint race for each driver and a two-driver 45-minute endurance race on both days. The starting grid for the endurance race will be determined by the combined results of the sprint races. The 20-minute sprint races are scheduled for Saturday at 11:00 am and 1:10 pm, followed by the longer race at 4:00 pm. Both days will be livestreamed starting at 10:00 am and will also be broadcast live on Fox Sports, Kayo, and SBS from 1:00 pm AEDT.