Contact disrupts late qualifying push
Ryan Wood and Kai Allen were involved in an unusual qualifying clash during Boost Mobile Qualifying for Race 17 at the betr Darwin Triple Crown, after Wood tried to pass Allen while returning to pit lane.
According to Supercars reporter Zac Dowdell, Wood had already completed a banker lap in the opening phase of Q2 and was on an in-lap when he caught Allen approaching the final corner.
Wood was trying to get back to the pits quickly enough to begin his final run on green tyres. He moved to the inside of Allen at the final corner, but the two cars made contact in a moment that surprised those watching the session.
Wood left frustrated by Allen’s pace
The incident did not cause major damage, and both drivers were able to complete the session. Wood finished sixth, while Allen ended up seventh.
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Still, Wood was clearly unhappy afterwards, saying he felt Allen had been moving too slowly on his in-lap.
“He was just dawdling along, and I knew how close we were going to be to get two laps [on our green tyre run],” Wood said after the session.
“He was just wobbling along, and I tried to get past him before the pits and he just turned down, so I don’t know what that was about.
“And he had to press on the out lap and hurt his next run, because he was going that slow on the in lap.
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“Yeah I don’t know, it is what it is.”
Tander questions the move
The clash also drew a sharp reaction from former Supercars champion Garth Tander in commentary.
“That all seemed a little bit unnecessary, they’re all coming back to pit lane anyway,” Tander said. “You don’t get any points for getting back to pit lane first.
“It’s a potential for contact, exactly that. You can wave your fist around, but I don’t understand why you need to get back to pit lane three seconds faster than the car ahead of you.”
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Qualifying incidents of this kind are rare, particularly when drivers are not on a timed lap. But with the session entering its decisive stage, Wood was focused on giving himself enough time for one final run.
The result was an awkward moment between two young drivers and another reminder of how quickly a qualifying session can unravel, even before the stopwatch is running.
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