Whincup steals co-driver contest
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 12 September 2025
Jamie Whincup shook away the rust and snared the co-driver only practice at the death in the AirTouch 500 at The Bend.
Driving with the colours of the track, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, Todd Hazelwood looked set to end the second Supercars practice on top in the DJR Mustang.
The #38 led the majority of the session, only for Whincup to steal it with his 13th and final lap of the 30-minute session.
It pushed the #88 Triple Eight Camaro back to the familiarity of P1 with Hazelwood 0.2082s back.
Grove Racing showed speed to have both cars in the top four in another relatively clean session.
Following the early shower at the end of Practice 1, the track had dried in time for the co-drivers only session in the afternoon.
The full field ventured out straight away and Zach Bates enjoyed a super start to the session, posting a 1:51.8360, beating Hazelwood by 0.0039s after the opening laps.
The DJR local then lowered the benchmark to a 1:51.2584 to be the standout driver of the early stages of the session.
Another Ford driver who impressed out of the gates was rookie Rylan Gray, who put the Tickford wildcard up to second.
Coulthard ensured Ford locked the top three positions across the first 10 minutes as Whincup led the Camaros, four tenths off the pace.
Whincup found more pace during his second run, pushing the #88 up to third.
However, Hazelwood was also pushing and lowered the benchmark by a further tenth with a 1:51.0831.
Winterbottom continued to show progress, and the master knocked his apprentice out of second to come within 0.2576s of the #38.
Inside the final 10 minutes, Hughes showed what he has up his sleeve, trimming Hazelwood’s advantage to 0.1298s.
He pressed on by going purple in the opening split of his following lap, but found the limit when he ran off at the opening corner.
The lock-up brought the promising run to an end, while Jack Smith impressed by rising up 22 positions to fourth.
But it was again Hazelwood, who made the biggest statement, finding an extra 0.287s in his final run.
Despite an off-tack moment at Turn 11, Moffat shot into the top five with a late lap.
The Grove Racing teammates also showed speed late, with Wood and Tander sharing stints in second as the #26 emerged ahead.
Hazelwood looked to have had control of the session, only for Whincup to nail his final lap.
The Triple Eight veteran fired a 1:50.5875 to jump two tenths clear of the rest.
Another late mover was Fraser, who rounded out the top five for Brad Jones Racing.
He was just ahead of Hughes and Holdsworth, while Moffat filtered back to eighth.
All drivers will be on track for the third and final Supercars Friday practice at 15.55 ACST.
Practice 2 results
1: Jamie Whincup 1:50.5875
2: Todd Hazelwood +0.2082
3: Dale Wood +0.3248
4: Garth Tander +0.4007
5: Declan Fraser +0.4620
6: Jarrod Hughes +0.6254
7: Lee Holdsworth +0.6587
8: James Moffat +0.6713
9: Zach Bates +0.6932
10: Mark Winterbottom +0.7532
11: Scott Pye +0.7592
12: Jack Smith +0.8637
13: Zak Best +0.8970
14: Rylan Gray +0.9055
15: Brad Vaughan +0.9863
16: Jordan Boys +0.9986
17: Fabian Coulthard +1.1206
18: Tim Slade +1.1870
19: Jobe Stewart +1.1972
20: Harri Jones +1.2232
21: Tony D’Alberto +1.3087
22: Jayden Ojeda +1.3201
23: Cameron McLeod +1.4031
24: Nash Morris +1.4170
25: Jack Perkins +1.4220
26: David Russell +1.9503
27: Aaron Seton +2.1906
Image: Peter Norton
Read the new issue of Auto Action Digital HERE
Buy the new issue of Auto Action Premium HERE
Don’t forget the print edition of Auto Action available via subscription here or you can purchase a copy of the latest issue from one of our outlets here.
Recent Stories
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' => 16722,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 11,
'category_count' => 16722,
'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' => 5597,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 38,
'category_count' => 5597,
'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' => 7279,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 2029,
'category_count' => 7279,
'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' => 6634,
'filter' => 'raw',
'cat_ID' => 2031,
'category_count' => 6634,
'category_description' => '',
'cat_name' => 'ZZZ-RSSFeeds',
'category_nicename' => 'zzz-rssfeeds',
'category_parent' => 0,
)),
)
