Ford star Matthew Payne and Triple Eight veteran Jamie Whincup led the instances within the opening day’s follow 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 tricky 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 recreation over. I really feel unhealthy for the crew, they’ll have an extended night time. It went in fairly onerous however on the finish of the day, it was my mistake. They need to work onerous now to repair my screw-up.”
Payne regarded very sturdy within the morning session with the most effective 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
Picture by: Supercars
Triple Eight Chevrolets topped the afternoon session, completely for co-drivers, which was delayed after which lower quick firstly by an oil clean-up from a earlier assist occasion after which for the secure elimination from the monitor 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.
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It was a giant 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 modifications have been essential after a rash of surprising latest crank failures that led to a world-wide search to safe the brand new Mexican-made models and a hurried 1000km testing program.
The WAU staff had a setback on the monitor as nicely, with Lee Holdsworth lacking many of the closing session when the Ford he’s sharing with Chaz Mostert was parked with an engine downside.
The Supercars will return to the Mount Panorama monitor on Friday for 2 one-hour follow periods, the primary at 10:05am Australian Japanese Daylight Financial savings Time, after which at 1:05pm. The all-important 40-minute qualifying session, which is able to set the grid for the eleventh to twenty sixth quickest vehicles, is because of begin at 4:15pm.
