James Golding has ended Supercars practice as the man to beat, whilst James Courtney is battered and bruised.
Golding was fast out of the gates and his early 1:47.1632 proved to be the benchmark for the majority of the session.
The PremiAir driver led an all Camaro top four and was a tenth clear of Broc Feeney, while little separated Will Brown and Nick Percat with the leading Mustang Matt Payne in fifth.
But the big story surrounded James Courtney, who suffered a major smash at the fast Turn 5.
Courtney had the 11th fastest time when he crashed, but there is now significant doubt over the veteran’s presence in qualifying in less than 90 minutes.
Chaz Mostert did not get a late lap and could only manage 23rd, but is not too concerned.
DJR was off to a flying start with Davison and Kostecki skipping clear of the pack on the opening lap.
But their time at the top was short lived as on the second lap it was MSR’s turn to show speed with Percat edging Hill by just 0.0981s and brought the benchmark down to 1:47.8899.
Golding waited until his second stint to put the foot down and it worked perfectly.
The PremiAir driver set a scorching time of 1:47.1632 and went fastest by a huge seven tenths.
Reynolds suffered a massive lock up at turn 9, which saw him fly across the grass at one of the fastest parts of the track.
However, the moment did not stop the Team 18 driver from firing a lap good enough for third.
Feeney had a similar scare, losing the #87 on corner exit and also toured the grass.
This proved the intensity was high and it reached breaking point at the 18 minute mark when the first red of the weekend arrived.
Courtney lost the rear coming through the fast Turn 5 and careered into the outside wall.
With the #7 Mustang clipping not just the edge of the tech-pro barriers, but also the concrete, the left rear corner was significantly damaged with the driveshaft being ripped out.
Once the clean up was completed, a five-minute qualifying simulation was set up with the full field obliging.
With the top seven all Camaros, the Mustangs wanted to hit back and many were immediately on personal bests.
Feeney rose from 18th to second ahead of Brown as the Triple Eight teammates were the only drivers to go within half a second of Golding while Waters only got to 10th.
The Triple Eight Camaros were soon followed by Percat, who was on the pace.
Payne squeezed a second flying lap in and managed to secure fifth.
Le Brocq’s hopes of rising from 21st were dashed when he went off at Turn 11.
Supercars Round 2 Melbourne SuperSprint Practice 2 results
array (
0 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 11,
'name' => 'Latest News',
'slug' => 'latest-news',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 11,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 0,
'count' => 15566,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 11,
'category_count' => 15566,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'Latest News',
'category_nicename' => 'latest-news',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
1 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 38,
'name' => 'Supercars',
'slug' => 'supercars',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 38,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => 'The Supercars Championship, currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship, is the premier motorsport category in Australasia and one of Australia\'s biggest sports. It originated from the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), which held its first race in 1960 at Gnoo-Blas in Orange, New South Wales. The ATCC evolved over the years, and in 1997, it was rebranded as the V8 Supercars Championship, eventually becoming the Supercars Championship we know today.
Some of the leading drivers in the history of the Supercars Championship include Peter Brock, who is often referred to as the "King of the Mountain" for his nine victories at the Bathurst 1000, a race that is considered one of the biggest in the series. Other notable drivers include Dick Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, who holds the record for the most championship titles, and Mark Skaife, who has also been a dominant force in the series.
The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, is arguably the most famous race in the Supercars calendar. Other significant races include the Sandown 500 and the Adelaide 500, which are known for their challenging circuits and thrilling competitions.
The Supercars Championship has grown to become a globally recognized series, known for its competitive racing and passionate fan base. It continues to be a major part of Australia\'s motorsport culture, attracting top drivers and teams from around the world.',
'parent' => 0,
'count' => 5253,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 38,
'category_count' => 5253,
'category_description' => 'The Supercars Championship, currently known as the Repco Supercars Championship, is the premier motorsport category in Australasia and one of Australia\'s biggest sports. It originated from the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), which held its first race in 1960 at Gnoo-Blas in Orange, New South Wales. The ATCC evolved over the years, and in 1997, it was rebranded as the V8 Supercars Championship, eventually becoming the Supercars Championship we know today.
Some of the leading drivers in the history of the Supercars Championship include Peter Brock, who is often referred to as the "King of the Mountain" for his nine victories at the Bathurst 1000, a race that is considered one of the biggest in the series. Other notable drivers include Dick Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup, who holds the record for the most championship titles, and Mark Skaife, who has also been a dominant force in the series.
The Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, is arguably the most famous race in the Supercars calendar. Other significant races include the Sandown 500 and the Adelaide 500, which are known for their challenging circuits and thrilling competitions.
The Supercars Championship has grown to become a globally recognized series, known for its competitive racing and passionate fan base. It continues to be a major part of Australia\'s motorsport culture, attracting top drivers and teams from around the world.',
'cat_name' => 'Supercars',
'category_nicename' => 'supercars',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
2 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 2029,
'name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
'slug' => 'email',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 2029,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 2031,
'count' => 6149,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 2029,
'category_count' => 6149,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-Email',
'category_nicename' => 'email',
'category_parent' => 2031,
)),
3 =>
WP_Term::__set_state(array(
'term_id' => 2031,
'name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
'slug' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
'term_group' => 0,
'term_taxonomy_id' => 2031,
'taxonomy' => 'category',
'description' => '',
'parent' => 0,
'count' => 5518,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 2031,
'category_count' => 5518,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
'category_nicename' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
)
