Top 15 run-off: Ambrose creams it

The brilliant Tasmanian rookie took his fourth pole position of the year when his Stone Brothers Racing Ford whistled around Mount Panorama in 2m09.77s and, in doing so, he joined Klaus Ludwig as the only pole debutant, the German qualifying fastest in his Eggenberger Ford Sierra 14 years ago.

Ambrose, who was 11th in regular qualifying, edged fellow Ford man Glenn Seton out of pole by 0.2s, the Ford Tickford veteran having qualified fastest for the fifth time in his Bathurst career.

Russell Ingall took third for Holden from Jason Bright, who finished ahead of team-mate Mark Skaife. But Bright was disappointed; the former Indy Lights driver lit the mountain with a 2m08.76s in the run-off warm-up, the fastest-ever lap around the New South Wales track.

Steven Johnson was sixth in the Ford he will share with Paul Radisich, while John Bowe, Steven Ellery, Garth Tander and Jim Richards fill out the top 10.

Ambrose's co-driver, Wayne Wakefield, also starred on Saturday, taking his Holden to the win in the 30-lap Konica preliminary race, running just outside the race pace for the 161-lap 1000km race.


1 Marcos Ambrose (Ford) 2m09.77s
2 Glenn Seton (Ford) 2m09.98s
3 Russell Ingall (Holden) 2m09.99s
4 Jason Bright (Holden) 2m10.11s
5 Mark Skaife (Holden) 2m10.15s
6 Steven Johnson (Ford) 2m10.35s
7 John Bowe (Ford) 2m10.43s
8 Steven Ellery (Ford) 2m10.47s
9 Garth Tander (Holden) 2m10.49s
10 Jim Richards (Ford) 2m10.51s
11 Todd Kelly (Holden) 2m10.86s
12 Craig Lowndes (Ford) 2m11.01s
13 Greg Ritter (Ford) 2m11.23s
14 Paul Morris (Holden) 2m11.37s
15 Paul Weel (Ford) 2m11.57s