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Mark Skaife secures poll position at Bathurst 1000


Skaife, who drove the last of the flying laps, finished in 2min 07.422sec to earn his fifth Bathurst pole, just one behind all-time leader Peter Brock, who has six.

This year's trophy has been named in honour of Brock, who died last month in a crash during the Targa West rally near Perth, and Skaife remembered him after his super lap.

"Everybody from 'red land' is so supportive and hoping the red team brings home a special victory for Peter, if that happens," Skaife, who will drive tomorrow's endurance race with teammate Garth Tander, said.

The front row of the grid tomorrow will be left empty as a mark of respect to Brock, who won the Bathurst 1000 a record nine times.

Skaife was third fastest in this morning's practice session at Mount Panorama, with Todd Kelly and Jason Bright nipping ahead of him in the early hours.

But Skaife, who is defending the title he won at Bathurst last year, said he wasn't expecting to move too quickly this morning, but knew he would be hard to beat later in the day.

"I needed to work very hard on the first sector as yesterday I didn't do a good job there," Skaife told Channel 10.

"But it was a great lap, and good enough to be there (in position one).

"This is the best race track you'll ever drive around, and this afternoon, the ambient temperature is right up and the track temperature is up, so that's as fast as you're going to go."

Toby Forage is editor of FOXsports.com.au