David Reynolds has edged out the two Tekno Autosports Holdens to end the opening day of practice for the V8 Supercars in Townsville with the fastest time.
The Bottle-O Racing Falcon driver set his 1:12.83s best in the final minutes, before even later efforts from Michael Patrizi and Jonathon Webb left the Tekno team-mates 0.04s and 0.2s adrift respectively.
All three drivers completed their best laps on pre-marked, but low-mileage, soft compound tyres.
Practice 3 pace-setter Jamie Whincup was fourth fastest in the final afternoon hit-out, with Fabian Coulthard, Tim Slade, Todd Kelly, Dean Fiore, Lee Holdsworth and Craig Lowndes rounding out the top 10.
Reynolds’ title-contending Ford Performance Racing stable-mates Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom could manage just 11th and 23rd respectively as the duo battled to extract speed from their eight-month old pre-marked tyres.
Unlike the opening three sessions, Practice 4 ran green for its entire 30 minute duration.
A spin for Garth Tander at the exit of Turn 2 proved the session’s wildest moment, although the former series champion was able to rejoin unscathed under local yellow flags.
Shane van Gisbergen and James Moffat also raised eyebrows when the SP Tools Falcon made minor contact with the rear of the Norton entry at the exit of Turn 3, ruining a hotlap for the Kiwi.
Van Gisbergen’s Stone Brothers Racing team-mate Lee Holdsworth had a moment of his own right at the end of the 30 minutes – the IRWIN Tools Falcon becoming stranded in the Turn 2 run-off area with Holdsworth unable to select reverse.
Jacques Villeneuve returned to the circuit to complete 15 laps in Practice 4 following his incident with the Turn 3 exit wall in the previous session.
The Pepsi Max Commodore continued to run at the foot of the time sheets, despite moving into the 1:15s bracket for the first time.
CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s Practice 1 report and results
CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s Practice 2 report and results
CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s Practice 3 report and results
See below for the full Practice 4 result
| 1 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | David Reynolds | Ford Falcon FG | 1:12.8310 | |
| 2 | Tekno Autosports | Michael Patrizi | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:12.8734 | 0:00.0424 |
| 3 | Tekno Autosports | Jonathon Webb | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:12.9841 | 0:00.1531 |
| 4 | TeamVodafone | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.0335 | 0:00.2025 |
| 5 | Lockwood Racing | Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.0837 | 0:00.2527 |
| 6 | Lucky 7 Racing | Tim Slade | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.2218 | 0:00.3908 |
| 7 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Todd Kelly | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.3231 | 0:00.4921 |
| 8 | Jim Beam Racing | Dean Fiore | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.3825 | 0:00.5515 |
| 9 | Irwin Racing | Lee Holdsworth | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.4352 | 0:00.6042 |
| 10 | TeamVodafone | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.4512 | 0:00.6202 |
| 11 | Trading Post FPR Ford | Will Davison | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.4722 | 0:00.6412 |
| 12 | Team BOC | Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.5192 | 0:00.6882 |
| 13 | SP Tools Racing | Shane Van Gisbergen | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.5797 | 0:00.7487 |
| 14 | Jim Beam Racing | Steven Johnson | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.6364 | 0:00.8054 |
| 15 | Holden Racing Team | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.6518 | 0:00.8208 |
| 16 | Team Hiflex | Tony D’Alberto | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.6958 | 0:00.8648 |
| 17 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Russell Ingall | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.6998 | 0:00.8688 |
| 18 | Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing | Karl Reindler | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.7752 | 0:00.9442 |
| 19 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Rick Kelly | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.7838 | 0:00.9528 |
| 20 | Holden Racing Team | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.7938 | 0:00.9628 |
| 21 | Team iSelect | Taz Douglas | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.8544 | 0:01.0234 |
| 22 | VIP Petfoods | Steve Owen | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.8748 | 0:01.0438 |
| 23 | Orrcon Steel FPR Ford | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.8877 | 0:01.0567 |
| 24 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Alexandre Premat | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:14.2259 | 0:01.3949 |
| 25 | Wilson Security Racing | David Wall | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:14.2707 | 0:01.4397 |
| 26 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Michael Caruso | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:14.3870 | 0:01.5560 |
| 27 | Team Norton DJR | James Moffat | Ford Falcon FG | 1:14.8676 | 0:02.0366 |
| 28 | Pepsi Max Crew | Jaques Villeneuve | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:15.7730 | 0:02.9420 |
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Sucrogen Townsville 400 Race Guide
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Race Guide for the British Grand Prix, which is also taking place this weekend
