D’Alberto sets TCR practice pace while Paddon tops Radical Cup times

After the Motorsport Australia tribunal hearing to the controversial last round did not go in his favour, Tony D’Alberto has responded on the track. The pacesetter from the previous round in the Honda Wall Racing Civic R FL5, D’Alberto was fastest overall after two practice sessions to kick off the Supercheap Auto TCR Series third round.

The 2022 Champion’s 1:35.9870 quickest lap was 0.32s fastest than his teammate Brad Harris and 0.8s under the pole time from 2023. Third at the end of the day was reigning champion Josh Buchan (HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30N).

By the time the first session started, the early rain had gone, and the skies were clear. Tufflift Racing’s Zac Soutar (Audi RS3) established the benchmark time ahead of D’Alberto, Carl Cox’s Motorsport’s Clay Richards (CUPRA Leon Competicion) and Buchan.

The championship leader, Soutar was able to eclipse his earlier time in the second outing but would be fourth overall, ahead of Dylan O’Keeffe (Lynk & Co 03), and the Peugeot 308s driven by Ryan Casha and Ben Bargwanna.

Second round winner Brit Tom Oliphant (Hyundai) finished ninth ahead of Indonesian Glenn Nirwan (Audi), newcomer Jude Bargwanna (Alfa Romeo Giulietta), Will Harris (Honda) and Jordan Cox (Peugeot).

The latter’s GRM teammate Aaron Cameron who rounded out the field, didn’t net a time in Practice 2 due broken splitter which has plagued the Peugeots today. He also had a fuel pickup problem to sort.

In a new Radical SR3 XXR run by Garth Walden Racing, Peter Paddon was the fastest in both practice sessions at Round 1 of the First Focus Radical Cup Australia.

In the team’s east verse west contest, West Australian based Arise Racing’s Cooper Cutts, also in a new XXR, was just 0.076s of the New South Welshman’s benchmark time. The third major team Volante Ross with Peter Clare and Josh Hunt were third fastest in their SR3 XX.

GWR’s Ash Samadi was next in front of Terry Knowles, Chris Reindler/Bryce Moor, Ethan Brown, Brad Russell, Bil Medland and 10th placed Adam Naccarata.

Both categories will qualify on Saturday morning with Radicals at 9:20am AEST and TCR at 11:25am before their respective first races at 12:05pm and 3:15pm. TCR qualifying and both the races will be live on 7plus and 7mate.