21.11.2003 PAUL STOKELL LINES UP THE LAMBORGHINI DIABLO IN SIXTH PLACE FOR TOMORROW'S 24 HOUR RACE

Holden's heroes, the Aussie team that won last year’s Bathurst 24-Hour in a 7.0 litre Monaro, took up today where they left off and claimed pole position for tomorrow’s second mountain marathon. The number 427 Monaro, driven by Garth Tander, set a lap time of 2 minutes 13.28 seconds this morning in the first of three qualifying sessions and was not bettered in the field of 45 GT and touring cars.

Heavy rain in the second session this afternoon ensured no one went faster and tonight’s final session, which finished at 9.50 pm, also did not produce a better time. The two-car Monaro team of Garry Rogers Motorsport also claimed second spot, with Greg Murphy fastest of the drivers in the car carrying Peter Brock’s number 05.

John Bowe was best of the rest, his time of 2:17.68 in a BMW M3 GTR evidence of the Monaros’ threatening form. Satisfied with their morning performance, the Monaros sat out the second session and did only the minimum compulsory laps tonight. But the cool, dry night conditions allowed the fastest of 35 internationals, Martin Short, to leap his Mosler MT900R from 10 th in the order to fourth on the grid.

Luckily, there were no sightings on track of the Mount Panorama kangaroos, which wildlife authorities warned could be in evidence at dusk today. Nevertheless, around half the cars in the field have been fitted with sonic repeller devices and three static electronic repellers have been placed around the track.

Tomorrow’s rolling start.will be taken at 2 pm, after Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson announces “Drivers, start your engines” to send the field on a journey expected to cover up to 3500 kilometres. Australian teams claimed seven of the the top 10 in qualifying. After the Monaros, the lap times were close enough to already promise an exciting race.
 
In sixth, fastest of the Italian cars, came Nations Cup champion Paul Stokell in the Lamborghini Diablo GTR, around 1.5 seconds faster than the fancied Austrian-owned Ferrari of David Brabham, Andrea Montermini, Philipp Peter and Klaus Engelhorn.