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Cameron into the 1:59s to grab Bathurst pole
AARON Cameron has continued to stun the Shannons S5000 Tasman Series establishment, grabbing pole position and becoming the first driver to break the magic two minute barrier at a Bathurst race meeting in the process.
In a pulsating 20-minute shootout that saw times tumble by more than eight seconds, Cameron saved his best for last and crossed the line well after the checkered flag had dropped to bank a 1m59.9340s best to top the field.
And while it didn’t top the outright Bathurst record of 1m59.29s – set in an unrestricted Audi R8 GT3 car at the Challenge Bathurst sprint event – it was the fastest lap recorded at a Bathurst race event.
As well as giving him pole position, it also adds more valuable points to Cameron’s championship tally in his pursuit of the Tasman Cup, which will be awarded following Sunday’s final race.
Cameron’s flyer ensured a 1-2 result for Team Valvoline GRM, James Golding finishing 0.1513s behind having previously topped the session – falling agonisingly close to going sub-two minutes in the process.
Form 700 / Alabar / Team BRM driver Joey Mawson was third, only 0.0059s behind Golding, while Nathan Herne was fourth and less than three-tenths from pole.
John Martin jumped to fifth late in the session for AGI Sport, while Roberto Merhi recovered from his Tuesday practice crash to qualify sixth.
Merhi’s last-lap best bumped Tim Macrow to seventh, though the two-time Australian Drivers’ Champion was only 0.6s from the fastest time.
Luis Leeds, Blake Purdie and Jordan Boys completed the 10, with the grid split by just 1.3 seconds.
Yoshi Katayama, who has missed practice and qualifying, has been cleared to race by Motorsport Australia and will start the first race tomorrow from the back of the grid.
Race 4 of the Shannons S5000 Tasman Series will commence at 1:35pm local time tomorrow afternoon, with live coverage on Fox Sports and Kayo.