D’Alberto fastest again in second Sydney practice

Tony D’Alberto has pipped Jason Bright for the top spot at the end of the second V8 Supercars practice session at the Sydney Telstra 500.

D’Alberto clocked a 1:29.53s lap after the chequered flag fell to eclipse Bright’s best effort by just 0.08s.

Both drivers lapped some 0.5s quicker than D’Alberto’s own Practice 1 topping time from earlier this morning, despite track temperatures continuing to rise on a scorching day in Sydney.

Michael Caruso ended the 30 minutes of running for the bottom 50 percent of the championship in third fastest from Steve Owen, James Moffat, Greg Murphy, Steven Johnson, David Wall, Dean Fiore and Taz Douglas.

Bright sat atop the timesheets for much of the session despite enduring several miscues that included a wild spin across the Turn 2/3 kerbing in the final 10 minutes.

The VIP Petfoods DJR Ford of Steve Owen also found itself in trouble late in the going – ending up lodged in the tyre barrier at Turn 3 as the session ended.

The kerb hopping sensors in the Turn 2/3 and 6/7 chicanes again saw the time sheets continually lighting up with infringements, nullifying a significant number of laps in the process.

Greg Murphy, returning to the track after a balance problem forced the #51 Holden back to the pit pavilion paddock area following Practice 1, was the only driver not to have a lap discounted by the system.

The third and penultimate V8 Supercars practice session of the day is scheduled for 1355 local time and will see the full 28 car field take to the track for the first time.

Result: V8 Supercars Practice 2, Sydney Olympic Park