Ford star Matthew Payne and Triple Eight veteran Jamie Whincup led the occasions within the opening day’s apply periods for Sunday’s Bathurst 1000.
However the speaking level of the day was that Whincup’s teammate, factors chief Will Brown, is taking a look at a troublesome weekend after co-driver Scott Pye smashed their Chevrolet Camaro at The Slicing late within the afternoon session.
“Younger bloke, chilly tyres…” mentioned Pye, after inflicting the session to be red-flagged.
“I simply misplaced the rear and it was sport over. I really feel dangerous for the crew, they’ll have an extended night time. It went in fairly exhausting however on the finish of the day, it was my mistake. They need to work exhausting now to repair my screw-up.”
Payne appeared very robust within the morning session with the perfect lap of the day, a 2m07.29s, main a Ford 1-2 forward of Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters. Brown led the Chevrolets in third place forward of Cameron Hill’s Matt Stone Racing entry.
Matt Payne, Penrite Racing Ford Mustang
Photograph by: Supercars
Triple Eight Chevrolets topped the afternoon session, solely for co-drivers, which was delayed after which lower brief firstly by an oil clean-up from a earlier assist occasion after which for the protected elimination from the observe of what gave the impression to be a brown snake at Forrest’s Elbow…
Whincup led a bloc of 5 Chevrolets, however not in the way in which many might have anticipated. Whincup, a four-time Bathurst winner, edged out rising star Cooper Murray, who’s sharing T8’s wildcard entry with veteran Craig Lowndes. Jordan Ojeda was third quickest forward of Erebus Motorsport teammate Todd Hazelwood and PremiAir Racing’s David Russell.
It was an enormous day with an early begin within the Ford camp, six of the Mustangs getting new engines fitted with revised, GT3-based crankshafts; each Dick Johnson Racing and Grove Racing vehicles and one every of the Tickford and Walkinshaw Andretti entries.
The adjustments have been crucial after a rash of surprising latest crank failures that led to a world-wide search to safe the brand new Mexican-made items and a hurried 1000km testing program.
The WAU crew had a setback on the observe as properly, with Lee Holdsworth lacking a lot of the last session when the Ford he’s sharing with Chaz Mostert was parked with an engine downside.
The Supercars will return to the Mount Panorama observe on Friday for 2 one-hour apply periods, the primary at 10:05am Australian Jap Daylight Financial savings Time, after which at 1:05pm. The all-important 40-minute qualifying session, which can set the grid for the eleventh to twenty sixth quickest vehicles, is because of begin at 4:15pm.