Brown tops Supercars Practice 2 by half a second

After rain at the start of the session, the track had dried out by the end, but a red flag set up a one-lap shootout to the chequered flag.

Hazelwood looked to have done enough to take bragging rights in the second hit-out of his first day at a race event for Erebus, clocking a 2:08.0347s in the #99 TFH Camaro.

However, former Erebus driver Will Brown then steamed through with a 2:07.5507s in the #87 Red Bull Ampol Camaro, with Broc Feeney third in the other Triple Eight entry and Grove Racing’s Matt Payne first of the Ford pilots in fourth.

Feeney still has the second-fastest time of the day, having topped Practice 1 on a 2:07.9551s.

That was a dry hit-out, but it was raining fairly heavily for the start of the day’s second and final hour-long session.

Richie Stanaway, whose #26 Penrite Mustang had been repaired after a crash in the previous hit-out, set a 2:32.6368s on wet tyres and that was one of just two times on the board – the other being a 3:31.8396s – when a red flag was called in the seventh minute.

Two cars were beached at The Chase, Anton De Pasquale having spun the #11 Shell V-Power Mustang in the braking zone while David Reynolds lost the #20 Tradie Beer Camaro earlier and glanced the wall on his way to the gravel trap.

A net two minutes were lost by the time the session restarted, after which Brad Jones Racing’s Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro) set a 2:27.3846s and then team-mate Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro) a 2:26.5537s.

Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) was next to move the marker to a 2:26.3091s, then Heimgartner on a 2:24.9162s, Fullwood on a 2:24.6373s, and Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) on a 2:23.9760s.

Then it was Walkinshaw Andretti United’s turn, Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) setting a 2:23.5439s, Ryan Wood (#2 Mobil 1 Truck Assist Mustang) making it a one-two with a 2:23.5381s, then his Bathurst 1000-winning team-mate returning to the top on a 2:21.7071s.

Seven drivers had split the WAU duo by the time Mostert consolidated first place on a 2:21.6080s, by which time the rain had stopped although the track was still too wet for slicks.

Wood reclaimed the ascendancy with a 2:21.4313s, then Heimgartner with a 2:21.0946s, after which Brown moved to the top on a 2:20.2395s.

Mostert rebounded with a 2:19.1706s before James Golding (#31 Camaro) jumped into the lead on a 2:18.8504s, by which time his PremiAir Nulon team-mate Tim Slade (#23 Camaro) had been dispatched on slicks.

He moved to third on a 2:19.9029s while Golding improved further to a 2:18.0334s, and Fullwood crawled back to the pits with left-rear damage after skating into the wall on approach to Forrest’s Elbow.

Slade then set a 2:17.3862s on his slicks before Golding hit back with a 2:16.0644s, by which time at became apparent that both PremiAir entries were on slicks.

Davison set a 2:14.6642s before Golding reclaimed the lead with a 2:12.9380s and extended it with a 2:11.7270s.

Tickford Racing’s Cam Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang) was slowest of the 23 drivers to set a time in Practice 1 but was fastest of the 24 in the field with a 2:11.3347s with just over 11 minutes to go in Practice 2.

Hazelwood then set a 2:11.3169s, Davison a 2:10.4396s, and James Courtney (#7 Snowy River Caravans Mustang) a 2:10.3114s.

Hazelwood moved things into the ‘nines’ with a 2:09.7887s, after which he was joined by Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang) on a 2:09.9504s.

The field looked to be on for a wholesale switch to qualifying simulations when Davison brought out a red flag by sliding off the pit entry road and beaching the #17 Dick Johnson Racing entry.

Pit exit reopened with 3:41s remaining, setting up an unofficial shootout.

Hazelwood headed the train and clocked a 2:07.5507s which Feeney fell short of by 0.1097s when he was next car through.

The 2017 Super2 Series winner looked to have done the business until Brown came through late, while Payne had done enough for fourth with his 2:08.2770s.

Rounding out the top 10 were Nick Percat (#10 Bendix Camaro), Waters, Macauley Jones (#96 Pizza Hut Camaro), Heimgartner, Cameron Hill (#4 Tyrepower Camaro), and Mostert.

Hazelwood was sent back out to take 14th, and Jack Le Brocq returned after a post-Practice 1 engine change for the #9 TFH Camaro to end up 22nd.

Qualifying for Race 1 starts tomorrow at 10:20 local time/AEDT.

Results: Practice 2