Motorsport: Ford duo wrap up pole at Phillip Island

Will Davison during a race. File photo / Supplied

Ford duo Will Davison and Luke Youlden have wrapped up pole position for Sunday's first endurance race of the V8 Supercar season at Phillip Island.

Davison and Youlden secured the front of the L&H 500 grid with a win and 15th place in the two qualifying races held on Saturday.

Under a complex qualifying system, each co-driver took part in one race and their combined points totals determined the team's starting position.

Ford Performance Racing's Davison and Youlden will start alongside Holden Racing Team duo Garth Tander and Nick Percat for Sunday's 500km race - the traditional lead-up to next month's Bathurst 1000.

Ford driver Shane van Gisbergen, who won the second qualifying race, will start from third on the grid with co-driver John McIntyre.

Team Vodafone's Jamie Whincup and Andrew Thompson will line up fourth for Sunday's race.

Defending Phillip Island and Bathurst champions Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife will start from sixth on the grid.

Davison won the opening 14-lap race, before Youlden drove sensibly to finish 15th in race two behind van Gisbergen to secure enough points for pole.

For Davison, who won both Phillip Island and Bathurst in 2009, pole gave him further hope he can continue his excellent enduro form following his switch to Ford this season.

"I've always gone well at the enduros in the past and we want to finish the season on a high,'' Davison said.

"We've been looking to do well at the enduros and we've got the fire in our belly to do well here.''

But Davison said while the car was rock-solid and gave the indication it would perform well on Sunday, tyre life would be crucial.

The picturesque Phillip Island track is notoriously tough on tyres, and the 113-lap race could chew through up to four sets if air and track temperatures are high.

Points for the overall V8 championship are on offer in Sunday's race.

Whincup currently leads the championship from Lowndes, with van Gisbergen third.

- AAP