Will Davison has continued Erebus Motorsport’s strong surge of form by topping Practice 1 at Winton Motor Raceway.
The Mercedes driver put down a 1:22.67s lap after the chequered flag fell to bump last year’s Winton winner James Moffat from the top of the pile.
The result comes just five days after Davison equalled Erebus’ best ever finish of fourth in the final race at Symmons Plains.
Moffat and Dick Johnson Racing’s Scott Pye were the only other two drivers to lap in the 1:22s during Practice 1 amid difficult track conditions.
Spots of rain had begun falling as the session started, ensuring some cars spent their early laps on wets.
Although the weather soon cleared, recent works to repair the surface left a slick track for drivers to deal with.
Secure your spot today.
The sealant used had wreaked havoc with earlier support category practice sessions as it peeled off the surface, leaving debris around the circuit.
Despite the drama, Davison’s final time proved just 0.8s off the category’s Winton practice lap record.
Lee Holdsworth ended the 20 minutes fifth fastest in the second of the Erebus entries, which are both currently devoid of major sponsorship.
Fabian Coulthard was the fastest of the Holdens in fourth, while Scott McLaughlin made a quiet start to the weekend for Volvo in 16th.
The session featured a red flag stoppage at its halfway mark after brake problems saw Michael Caruso’s Nissan stranded in the Turn 7 gravel.
The #36 Norton entry did not return to the circuit for the remainder of the session.
Two further 20 minute practice hit-outs will complete the day’s V8 Supercars running.
See below for the full Practice 1 result
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Difference |
| 1 | Will Davison | Erebus Motorsport V8 | Mercedes E63 AMG | 1:22.6742* | |
| 2 | James Moffat | Norton Hornets | Nissan Altima | 1:22.8794 | 0:00.2052 |
| 3 | Scott Pye | Wilson Security Racing | Ford Falcon FG | 1:22.9926 | 0:00.3184 |
| 4 | Fabian Coulthard | Lockwood Racing | Holden Commodore VF | 1:23.0120 | 0:00.3378 |
| 5 | Lee Holdsworth | Erebus Motorsport V8 | Mercedes E63 AMG | 1:23.0397 | 0:00.3655 |
| 6 | Chaz Mostert | Ford Pepsi Max Crew | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.1389 | 0:00.4647 |
| 7 | Rick Kelly | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Nissan Altima | 1:23.1868 | 0:00.5126 |
| 8 | Jamie Whincup | Red Bull Racing Australia | Holden Commodore VF | 1:23.1940 | 0:00.5198 |
| 9 | Todd Kelly | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Nissan Altima | 1:23.2725 | 0:00.5983 |
| 10 | Dale Wood | Team Advam/GB | Holden Commodore VF | 1:23.2818 | 0:00.6076 |
| 11 | David Wall | Wilson Security Racing | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.2895 | 0:00.6153 |
| 12 | Nick Percat | Walkinshaw Racing | Holden Commodore VF | 1:23.3279 | 0:00.6537 |
| 13 | Craig Lowndes | Red Bull Racing Australia | Holden Commodore VF | 1:23.6521 | 0:00.9779 |
| 14 | Shane Van Gisbergen | Team Tekno VIP Petfoods | Holden Commodore VF | 1:23.7926 | 0:01.1184 |
| 15 | Russell Ingall | Repair Management Aust Racing | Holden Commodore VF | 1:23.9255 | 0:01.2513 |
| 16 | Scott McLaughlin | Valvoline Racing GRM | Volvo S60 | 1:24.0000 | 0:01.3258 |
| 17 | Jack Perkins | Team JELD-WEN | Ford Falcon FG | 1:24.1227 | 0:01.4485 |
| 18 | Robert Dahlgren | Valvoline Racing GRM | Volvo S60 | 1:24.2543 | 0:01.5801 |
| 19 | Jason Bright | Team BOC | Holden Commodore VF | 1:25.5919 | 0:02.9177 |
| 20 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Pepsi Max Crew | Ford Falcon FG | 1:25.6854 | 0:03.0112 |
| 22 | James Courtney | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore VF | 1:25.7821 | 0:03.1079 |
| 22 | Garth Tander | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore VF | 1:26.8185 | 0:04.1443 |
| 23 | David Reynolds | The Bottle-O Racing Team | Ford Falcon FG | 1:28.5665 | 0:05.8923 |
| 24 | Tim Slade | Supercheap Auto Racing | Holden Commodore VF | 5:09.3198 | 3:46.6456 |
| 25 | Michael Caruso | Norton Hornets | Nissan Altima | 1:22.6742* | 0:00.2052 |
