Tim Edgell and Simon Evans emerged as the pacesetters in Friday practice for the second round of the BNT NZ Touring Cars Championship at Pukekohe.
Edgell produced a solid showing in both 20 minute practice sessions resulting in a personal best 1:06.1510s arriving in the opening hit out.
Evans came the closest to surpassing the time but his Practice 2 topping time fell 0.0390s shy of Edgell’s Holden.
The experienced Craig Baird was third fastest on combined times with his best effort, set in opening practice, four tenths off the pace.
Championship leader Jason Bargwanna was fourth in his Toyota Camry with Angus Fogg a tenth further back in fifth, while Mitchell Cunningham’s Ford Falcon was marginally slower in sixth.
Dunlop Series regular Bryce Fullwood posted the seventh fastest time with the Darwin teenager impressing on his Pukekohe circuit debut.
Nick Ross, Lance Hughes and Scott Taylor rounded out the top 10 ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session scheduled for 0930 local time.
Meanwhile, in the UDC V8 Utes Racing Series, Paul Manuell fought off stern competition to secure pole position in a hotly contested qualifying session.
The Holden driver pipped Australian V8 Utes title contender Kris Walton to pole by 0.0220s as James Urquhart and Sam Berry locked out the second row.
Ash Blewett edged Reid Harker to the pole in the Toyota Finance TR 86 one make series, while Alexandra Whitley topped the times in qualifying in the SsangYong Ute Racing Series.
The result proved to be a maiden pole position for the multiple Australian karting champion.
Shane Wigston proved to be the class of the field in the Central Muscle Cars as he claimed pole position by 0.6s.
