![Fabian Coulthard](https://speedcafe.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Fabian-Coulthard-WA-344x226.png)
Fabian Coulthard kicked-off his weekend at the Perth 400 by edging fellow Holden driver James Courtney to the fastest time in a tight opening practice session.
Courtney’s Holden Racing Team entry had spent the majority of the 20 minutes atop the time sheets.
The former V8 Supercars champion clocked a best of 56.42s at the end of his first of three runs, which Coulthard eventually eclipsed by just 0.0075s as the chequered flag flew.
Coulthard had spent the early part of the session bedding brakes on pre-marked hard tyres, before switching to the softer rubber.
A 56.44s put Coulthard second after his second run, before concluding the session with his 51.41s best.
Ford Performance Racing also made a solid start to its Barbagallo campaign with Mark Winterbottom, David Reynolds and Chaz Mostert third, fourth and sixth respectively.
Scott McLaughlin split the trio in his Volvo, while Nissan and Mercedes-AMG were too represented in the top 10 thanks to Michael Caruso (ninth) and Lee Holdsworth (10th).
Among those down the order were Red Bull team-mates Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, who ended up just 19th and 24th respectively.
The session marked the track debut of David Wall’s new Dick Johnson Racing Falcon; pressed into service following a heavy accident at Pukekohe.
Wall proved 16th fastest, 0.4s adrift of team-mate Scott Pye, who was a solid eighth.
The teams enjoyed a dry track for the duration of Practice 1, despite heavy cloud cover rolling in ahead of what is expected to be a wet afternoon.
The second of three 20 minute practice sessions for the day will get underway at 12:10 local time.
See below for the full Practice 1 result
1 | Lockwood Racing | Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore VF | 00:56.41 | |
2 | Holden Racing Team | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VF | 00:56.42 | 00:00.01 |
3 | Ford Pepsi Max Crew | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG | 00:56.50 | 00:00.09 |
4 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | David Reynolds | Ford Falcon FG | 00:56.54 | 00:00.13 |
5 | Valvoline Racing GRM | Scott McLaughlin | Volvo S60 | 00:56.64 | 00:00.23 |
6 | Ford Pepsi Max Crew | Chaz Mostert | Ford Falcon FG | 00:56.65 | 00:00.23 |
7 | Walkinshaw Racing | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore VF | 00:56.71 | 00:00.29 |
8 | Wilson Security Racing | Scott Pye | Ford Falcon FG | 00:56.71 | 00:00.30 |
9 | Norton Hornets | Michael Caruso | Nissan Altima | 00:56.75 | 00:00.34 |
10 | Erebus Motorsport V8 | Lee Holdsworth | Mercedes E63 AMG | 00:56.76 | 00:00.35 |
11 | Team BOC | Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VF | 00:56.80 | 00:00.39 |
12 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Rick Kelly | Nissan Altima | 00:56.82 | 00:00.41 |
13 | Holden Racing Team | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VF | 00:56.83 | 00:00.42 |
14 | Erebus Motorsport V8 | Will Davison | Mercedes E63 AMG | 00:56.83 | 00:00.42 |
15 | Team JELD-WEN | Jack Perkins | Ford Falcon FG | 00:56.98 | 00:00.56 |
16 | Wilson Security Racing | David Wall | Ford Falcon FG | 00:57.04 | 00:00.63 |
17 | Team Advam/GB | Dale Wood | Holden Commodore VF | 00:57.05 | 00:00.63 |
18 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Tim Slade | Holden Commodore VF | 00:57.09 | 00:00.68 |
19 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VF | 00:57.11 | 00:00.69 |
20 | Valvoline Racing GRM | Robert Dahlgren | Volvo S60 | 00:57.14 | 00:00.72 |
21 | Team Tekno VIP Petfoods | Shane Van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore VF | 00:57.14 | 00:00.73 |
22 | Repair Management Aust Racing | Russell Ingall | Holden Commodore VF | 00:57.15 | 00:00.73 |
23 | Norton Hornets | James Moffat | Nissan Altima | 00:57.20 | 00:00.79 |
24 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VF | 00:57.34 | 00:00.92 |
25 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Todd Kelly | Nissan Altima | 00:57.63 | 00:01.21 |
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Form Guide for the Perth 400