By Matthew Agius
In the first session of the new qualifying format for the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series, several drivers and teams have surprised, disappointed or have shown typical performances - indicators of things to come in the short-term.
James Courtney has taken another step in the V8 Supercar career that many touted to emulate his #4 Falcon predecessor turned NASCAR driver, Marcos Ambrose. Taking a narrow pole position on board the new Jeld-Wen BF Ford, Courtney certainly impressed many.
Alongside him on the grid for tomorrow’s race, Jamie Whincup has certainly made the best opportunity to defend his Clipsal 500 crown – putting his TeamVodafone Falcon second on the grid.
Showing promise again in 2007 is Garth Tander. The Toll HSV Dealer Team driver was third in the fifteen minute session and at this stage appears to be one of the few to come to terms with the totally different VE Commodore.
Perhaps indicative of his championship favouritism in 2007, Tander’s teammate and defending champion, Rick Kelly, qualified mid pack after running around the same mark in practice.
Mark Winterbottom, second favourite for this year’s title, qualified fourth, after showing much of the speed that boosted Ford Performance Racing in pre-season testing. The 2003 Konica V8 Supercar Series champion was considerably quicker than his new teammate Steven Richards however, with the double Bathurst champion being eliminated from the second qualifying stint.
Tasman Motorsport produced Holden’s best qualifying effort, with Jason Richards claiming fifth position, and new co-driver Greg Murphy showing speed of old and just missing the top ten in eleventh. After criticism for moving from Kmart Racing (now reigning champions, the Toll HSV Dealer Team) to Supercheap Auto Racing, Murphy appears to have made the right decision by switching teams again, this time to Tasman.
![James Courtney's new for 2007 Jeld-Wen Racing livery [pic credit: SBR media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/292524.jpg)
