Feeney leads T8 one-two in Supercars Practice 1 at The Bend

Broc Feeney has topped Repco Supercars Championship Practice 1 at The Bend Motorsport Park in a Red Bull Ampol Racing one-two.

The rookie went as fast a 1:48.7706s in a chilly, opening 30-minute session at the OTR SuperSprint with Shane van Gisbergen finishing second and the two wildcards, Zak Best and Jordan Boys, third and fourth respectively.

Feeney (#88 ZB Commodore) was quickest initially with a 1:48.9903s on his first flyer and would likely have gone faster again next time around had he not been held up by James Golding (#31 Subway ZB Commodore).

Van Gisbergen moved to second position with a 1:49.0907s on his second run despite reporting on his radio that the #97 ZB Commodore “feels fast but it’s undriveable”.

He was briefly out of the car after that run, as Brodie Kostecki (#99 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore) moved into second spot with a 1:49.0617s on a second set of new soft tyres, the only compound in play this weekend.

They were all knocked off when Best clocked a 1:48.9214s inside the final five minutes in the #78 Tickford Racing Mustang, before Feeney hit back with a 1:48.7706s and van Gisbergen restored the Triple Eight one-two with a 1:48.9150s.

Rounding out the top six were the three Erebus Motorsport-built ZB Commodores in the field, with Image Racing’s Boys wheeling Car #49 to a 1:48.9343s with the chequered flag out, ahead of Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown (#9 Boost Mobile ZB Commodore).

Despite history showing that The Bend is a Ford track, one has to go down to seventh on the timesheet to find the second of the Mustang drivers, namely Penrite Racing’s David Reynolds, who went as quick as a 1:49.1757s in Car #26.

Rounding out the top 10 were Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus ZB Commodore), Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang), and Cameron Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang), with Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) 15th at 0.7855s off the pace.

Jake Kostecki’s #56 Tradie Mustang was belching oil smoke in the early minutes of the session but he was sent back out and ended up 25th.

Jack Le Brocq propped up the timesheet in the expanded, 27-car field after a brake vibration in the #34 Truck Assist ZB Commodore.

Practice 2, another half-hour session, starts at 11:35 local time/12:05 AEST.

Results: Practice 1