Besnard promising for WPS.

WPS Racing's David Besnard will start from 13th place on the grid - the second best of all of the Ford teams - in the eighth round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series at Oran Park in Sydney's west on Sunday.

Besnard, who registered the second fastest lap time in the morning practice session on Saturday, posted a similar time in the afternoon's qualifying session to finish agonisingly short of his first top 10 shootout for the year.

Nevertheless, Besnard's performance let him the highest placed Ford driver behind Stone Brothers Racing's Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall.

While satisfied with the result, Besnard admitted that he surrendered a chance for a place in the shootout by over-racing and twice spearing off the track in the 20 minute qualifying session.

"The result shows that we have made further gains and are progressing each round," said Besnard. "But I would have to say I probably cost the team a place in the top 10 by going off the track.

"I over-drove the car and I think it was probably because I'm use to driving cars that we have to carry a bit. But this is a good car now and if I put my head down a good result will come."

Team mate Mark Noske had a difficult day behind the wheel and will start race one tomorrow from 32nd place on the grid.

Noske said he was extremely disappointed at the performance but took some heart from a post-race analysis of the qualifying session.

"We have been through the data and identified an area of the track where I'm losing ground ... I'm on pace everywhere but this one spot," said Noske.

"I can now focus on that and hopefully should be able to turn in a better race-day performance."