Cam Waters completes Townsville 500 practice sweep

Waters was quickest in the earlier 40-minute session and repeated the feat by clocking a 1:13.8376s in the #6 Monster Energy Mustang with the chequered flag out on the day’s latter hit-out for the Repco Supercars Championship field.

That effort denied Erebus Motorsport’s Jack Le Brocq (#9 Tyrepower Camaro) top spot by just 0.0590s, with Team 18’s Mark Winterbottom (#18 DeWalt Camaro) a late mover to third.

Practice 2 again ran to an unusual rhythm although, this time around, that could be attributed to the weather.

Light rain started falling soon after the session began, as Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) took the early ascendancy with a 1:14.4654s on his first flyer and rookie Aaron Love (#3 CoolDrive Mustang) moved into second with a 1:14.5805s on his second push lap.

Early green tyre running seemed to follow, with Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Camaro) going top on a 1:14.3686s in the ninth minute, before Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) set a 1:14.32534s and Le Brocq, a 1:13.8966s.

Mostert improved next time around to a 1:14.1637s and Brodie Kostecki (#1 Erebus Motorsport Camaro) climbed to third on a 1:14.2742s, then Waters took over second place on a 1:14.0771s.

Andre Heimgartner put the #8 R&J Batteries Camaro into fourth position with a 1:14.2292s on his third run, then Broc Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) moved up to seventh in a couple of steps, with a 1:14.6437s and a 1:14.3649s.

Le Brocq held the fastest two laps of the session when he ended his third run with a 1:13.9318s which included a new fastest second sector of the session.

Heimgartner consolidated fourth with a 1:14.2151s on his fourth run, before the final salvos began but, even then, some of the heavy-hitters of the championship were relatively quiet.

Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang) moved to third with a final-minute 1:14.1399s, before Tickford team-mate Waters snatched top spot from Le Brocq.

Randle thus ended up fourth, from Mostert and Heimgartner, with Matt Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang) setting a late 1:14.2706s to earn seventh after a very long opening run.

Rounding out the top 10 were Kostecki, Fullwood, and Feeney on that 1:14.3469s, with championship leader Will Brown (#87 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) 12th on a 1:14.4141s.

Qualifying for Race 13 of the season takes place tomorrow morning from 10:15 local time/AEST, with a Top 10 Shootout later in the day.

Results: Practice 2