SpeedSeries Sandown Friday wrap

The 2024 SpeedSeries season fired up at Sandown Raceway with a busy day of practice under sunny skies at the famous Melbourne circuit.

TCR Australia

Aaron Cameron has started 2024 with ominous form by sweeping both of the Friday practice sessions.

Cameron was on fire in the Garry Rogers Motorsport Peugeot 308 TCR being the only driver to record a 1:14s time.

His 1:14.9292 was more than three tenths faster than the next best time of the day achieved in Practice 1.

The next best was fellow Peugeot driver Ben Bargwanna who was 0.3085s back, while Tony D’Dalberto and Zac Soutar were the only other drivers with half a second of the leader.

After raising eyebrows in the opening session, Cameron backed it up by also topping a much closer Practice 2.

Cameron stayed in P1 with a 1:15.2467, which was just enough to edge out D’Alberto by 0.02s.

It was just as close in the fight for third as the likes of Bargwanna, Josh Buchan and Jordan Cox were all within half a tench of each other.

It proved to be a tough opening day for Indonesian rookie Glenn Nirwan who ended up five and a half seconds off the pace and missed Practice 2.

TCR takes on a new two-part qualifying session at 10.30 AEDT on Saturday morning before the opening race of the season at 13.15.

Trans Am

Elliott Barbour is so far the Lone Ranger for Chevrolet in Trans Am. Image: Rebecca Hind Revved Photography

Elliott Barbour has set the pace after being the sole Camaro in a sea of Mustangs on the first day of running in the 2024 Trans Am season.

Barbour’s Practice 1 topping 1:11.9320 ended up being the fastest Friday time but only just ahead of Jordan Boys.

The #75 Pioneer DJ Camaro was the only non Mustang in the top 13.

Barbour eclipsed Boys by the slender margin of 0.0509s with next best youngster Tom Hayman a further two tenths adrift ahead of reigning champion James Moffat.

Practice 2 was a more one sided show with Nash Morris stealing the spotlight.

Morris’ 1:12.1547 was two tenths clear of Supercars star James Golding who soared to an impressive second in just his second session in the category.

Boys was third ahead of Moffat and Barbour with the top five the only others within half a second of Morris.

With such an open and competitive field it will be interesting to see the pecking order when Trans Am goes qualifying at 10.00 AEDT on Saturday before two more races are held.

Australian Formula Open

Miles Bromley had lightening speed on the opening day of the Australian Formula Open season. Image: Rebecca Hind Revved Photography

It is a two-horse race after the first day of the Australian Formula Open season at Sandown.

After three practice sessions two cars are quite clearly a cut above the rest.

Miles Bromley emerged with the fastest time of a 1:09.2715 set in the final session.

He was just under two tenths quicker than Ryan Macmillan.

But then it was daylight with the third fastest Trent Grubel a further second adrift with the 1:10.4337 set in practice 2.

The opening qualifying session and race will take place at 11.10 and 14.35 AEDT respectively on Saturday.

Australian Production Cars

Jayden Ojeda and Simon Hodges have secured the first pole position of the 2024 Australian Production Cars season after dominating the opening day at Sandown.

Ojeda and Hodges were fastest all day in their #21 BMW M4 with a pole time of 1:15.6171.

Joining them on the front row will be D Campbell and Cameron Crick who were two tenths away and the only others to be within a second.

Iain and Grant Sherrin were next best filling the second two to make it a top four full of BMWs.

They will prepare for a busy Saturday with three races starting at 09.25 AEDT.

Sandown SpeedSeries Saturday schedule

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