Perkins splashes to Saturday Sandown pole

Jack Perkins has claimed his second straight Saturday pole in the Dunlop Series after a wet and wild Boost Mobile Qualifying for Race 1 at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.

Perkins won out in a late duel with Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Zach Bates, and was the only driver to dip below the 1:20s barrier on a 1:19.9334s.

Lining up third on the grid is Super3 Series leader Cody Burcher, who starred in his MW Motorsport Nissan to set a 1:20.4521s.

As the 23 car field rolled out for the 20-minute session, minus Antonio Molluso whose Super3 debut was cut short with mechanical dramas, the Dunlop Series field was met with wet conditions.

It was the first wet running for the Dunlop Series since Adelaide last year, and the first wet Super2 session at Sandown since 2011, with Jack Perkins the only current driver in the field that weekend.

Bates was the fastest in the initial runs on a 1:21.9024s, however was usurped when he went back into the pits to allow the WAU crew to make adjustments to tyre pressures.

Image Racing’s Jarrod Hughes was the first to improve the benchmark on a 1:21.8427s, before Perkins went better on a 1:21.3309s.

Series leader Kai Allen went second on a 1:21.6749s before taking the jump at the exit of turn two, and then Jobe Stewart jumped to the top on a 1:21.2257s for Erebus Motorsport.

Hughes then improved again to a 1:21.1794s before Perkins threw down a serious time of a 1:20.3101s to put more than eight tenths on the field.

Burcher announced himself in the session when he popped up into third outright on a 1:20.6107s, only three tenths down on Perkins and a second faster than Allen.

As the session began to build towards a crescendo, the red flag was brought out with just under five minutes left in the session.

Tony Auddino, driving Image Racing’s Super3 Commodore, spun off at turn one after losing the rear end in the braking zone and grabbing the painted kerb on the outside.

That paved the way for a frantic conclusion to the session, with fancied runners Brad Vaughan and Cooper Murray back in 15th and 16th respectively, and Bates looking to climb back to the top from fifth.

The Canberran did set a time fast enough to go to the top on a 1:20.2963s, before Perkins responded on his final flyer to set the ultimate benchmark.

Bates had one final attempt at Perkins’ time, and improved to a 1:20.1664s to solidify his spot on the outside of the front row.

Burcher was next, ahead of Stewart, Hughes, and Thomas Maxwell, who made it two MW Motorsport Nissans in the top six as the Super3 cars came to life in the rain.

Allen could only manage seventh in the #1 Eggleston Motorsport Commodore, with Jordyn Sinni, Elliott Cleary, and title combatant Aaron Cameron rounding out the top ten.

Murray and Vaughan went backwards in the final blast, and will start from 18th and 19th, whilst fellow double duty driver Cameron McLeod will start 14th.

The opening race of the weekend for the Dunlop Series begins at 4:25pm AEST.