The momentum kept rolling today for Tim Blanchard as he tackled Qualifying and the first race at Phillip Island today. Each driver ran an individual qualifying session followed by a 14 lap - 60 km race which determined the grid for the L&H 500km race.

In the first qualifying run David Reynolds finished in P6. Not long after Tim was at the wheel and finished the session in a very credible 12th place. In a unique set of qualifying rules, a requirement was that the car had to make a tyre stop in one of the two 14 lap races. In the first leg, David Reynolds ran the full distance leaving the pit stop for Tim's race.

Blanchard started well and held down a strong mid pack position pitting on Lap 8. "I settled into a good pace and was as quick as any of the cars around us" Tim said "We tried a few set up changes from Dave's race and it has definitely given us a direction for the race tomorrow. A top 10 start is a good result for the team. " Tim added.

The combined result sees the #16 Stratco Commodore starting in seventh grid position for the 500km race.