Audi pilot Jay Hanson has set the pace in the second and final practice session for Round 6 of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at Sandown.

The Melbourne Performance Centre driver clocked a 1:14.9570s which was not enough to knock off Bailey Sweeny’s Practice 1 effort of 1:14.7623s, but was faster than anyone else went in the day’s latter hit-out at the Melbourne circuit.

Hanson had been first to move the benchmark under 75 seconds when he clocked a 1:14.9570s in his new-generation RS 3 LMS once he got up to temperature in his first run proper.

He was still on top when Jordan Cox (Peugeot) triggered a red flag in the 11th minute after coming to a halt in Sector 2, although the Garry Rogers Motorsport steerer was able to drive back to the pits during the stoppage.

By then, Ashley Seward Motorsport’s Michael Caruso (Alfa Romeo) was second on a 1:14.9889s and series-leading Wall Racing driver Tony D’Alberto (Honda) third on a 1:14.9936s.

The green flag came again in the 14th minute but, in a session shortened to 21 minutes after starting nine late due to an earlier hold-up in the event programme, no driver improved thereafter.

Sweeny (Hyundai) finished Practice 2 in fourth on a 1:15.2462s, from Lachlan Mineeff (Audi) on a 1:15.2472s, with the top 10 rounded out by Zac Soutar (Honda), Will Brown (Audi), Aaron Cameron (Peugeot), Josh Buchan (Hyundai), and Luke King (Hyundai).

Ben Bargwanna (Peugeot), who caused Practice 1 to be cut short with a prang at Dandenong Road, came back out in Practice 2 and was classified 17th.

Qualifying, to be held in the usual two-session format, gets underway tomorrow from 11:35 local time/AEST.

Stan Sport’s live and ad-free coverage of the Sandown round of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships starts tomorrow at 11:00 AEST, while free-to-air viewers can catch a full two hours of action on 9Gem tomorrow from 15:00 AEST.

Results: Practice 2