![Brodie Kostecki. Picture: Ross Gibb](https://speedcafe.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/20230310163314__05A8401-1200x800.jpg)
Erebus Motorsport’s Brodie Kostecki has pipped Shane van Gisbergen to practice honours on the opening day of the Thrifty Newcastle 500.
Kostecki spent much of the third and final 45-minute practice session for the Repco Supercars Championship field on top and would reclaim the ascendancy just before the chequered flag with a 1:11.4068s in the #99 Coca-Cola Camaro.
That effort beat the 1:11.4625s set by Triple Eight Race Engineering’s van Gisbergen moments earlier, after the 2022 champion had regrouped from a reported gearbox selection issue on the lap prior in the #97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro.
Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert put a Ford in the top three at just 0.0760s off the pace on a late 1:11.4828s in the #25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang, with the top five on the opening day of Gen3 competition rounded out by PremiAir Racing Chevrolet duo, Tim Slade and James Golding.
Brad Jones Racing’s Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro) was fastest in Practice 1 and fifth-quickest in Practice 2, then back on top early in the third session on a 1:12.1413s and then a 1:12.1270s.
Kostecki reset the very fastest lap of the weekend when he clocked a 1:11.6160s in an early run, and was still more than two tenths better when Golding (#31 Nulon Camaro) went to a 1:11.8478s just before the quarter-hour mark.
WAU’s Nick Percat (#2 Mobil 1 NTI Mustang) moved to second on a 1:11.7882s in the 21st minute, just prior to Kostecki taking ownership of the second-fastest lap of the day also, setting a 1:11.6802s.
Shortly beyond the half-hour mark, Will Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) took up second place with a 1:11.7682s, minutes before Will Brown (#9 Coca-Cola Camaro) gave the tyre barriers a harmless nudge at Turn 8 while trying to catch a mid-corner moment.
With just over five minutes to go, new PremiAir driver Slade vaulted to the top with a 1:11.5649s in the #400 Nulon Camaro, then team-mate Golding went third on a 1:11.6898s.
Van Gisbergen reported a gearbox gremlin back to the Triple Eight bunker with a couple of minutes to go and while he aborted one lap, he went fastest on the next one.
Mostert then went second but Kostecki snipped 0.0557s from #97’s benchmark to claim Friday bragging rights at the Newcastle East Street Circuit.
Percat ended up sixth on a 1:11.7275s, from Davison, Team 18’s Scott Pye (#20 Hino Camaro), and Tickford Racing’s Cam Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang), the latter of whom was on to improve on his final lap before he put in a slow final sector.
Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) rounded out the top 10 at 0.5067s off the pace, with Brown 12th, Heimgartner 13th, and Broc Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) 16th on a 1:12.0274s which was only 0.6206s slower than Kostecki’s best effort.
The next session, starting tomorrow at 11:15 local time/AEDT represents the first time Gen3 cars will qualify, with a Top 10 Shootout to follow later in the day.
Results: Practice 3
Pos | Num | Team/Sponsor | Driver | Car | Fastest lap | Split |
1 | 99 | Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus | Brodie Kostecki | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:11.4068 | |
2 | 97 | Red Bull Ampol Racing | Shane van Gisbergen | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:11.4625 | 0:00.0557 |
3 | 25 | Mobil 1 Optus Racing | Chaz Mostert | Ford Mustang GT | 1:11.4828 | 0:00.0760 |
4 | 400 | Nulon Racing | Tim Slade | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:11.5649 | 0:00.1581 |
5 | 31 | Nulon Racing | James Golding | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:11.6898 | 0:00.2830 |
6 | 2 | Mobil 1 NTI Racing | Nick Percat | Ford Mustang GT | 1:11.7275 | 0:00.3207 |
7 | 17 | Shell V-Power Racing Team | Will Davison | Ford Mustang GT | 1:11.7682 | 0:00.3614 |
8 | 20 | Hino | Scott Pye | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:11.7761 | 0:00.3693 |
9 | 6 | Monster Energy Racing | Cameron Waters | Ford Mustang GT | 1:11.8048 | 0:00.3980 |
10 | 11 | Shell V-Power Racing Team | Anton De Pasquale | Ford Mustang GT | 1:11.9135 | 0:00.5067 |
11 | 35 | Truck Assist Racing | Cameron Hill | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:11.9225 | 0:00.5157 |
12 | 9 | Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus | William Brown | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:11.9383 | 0:00.5315 |
13 | 8 | R&J Batteries Racing | Andre Heimgartner | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:11.9425 | 0:00.5357 |
14 | 34 | Truck Assist Racing | Jack Le Brocq | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:11.9476 | 0:00.5408 |
15 | 19 | Penrite Racing | Matthew Payne | Ford Mustang GT | 1:11.9782 | 0:00.5714 |
16 | 88 | Red Bull Ampol Racing | Broc Feeney | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:12.0274 | 0:00.6206 |
17 | 14 | Middy’s Racing | Bryce Fullwood | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:12.0471 | 0:00.6403 |
18 | 18 | DEWALT Racing | Mark Winterbottom | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:12.0750 | 0:00.6682 |
19 | 5 | Snowy River Racing | James Courtney | Ford Mustang GT | 1:12.0930 | 0:00.6862 |
20 | 55 | Castrol Racing | Thomas Randle | Ford Mustang GT | 1:12.1209 | 0:00.7141 |
21 | 26 | Penrite Racing | David Reynolds | Ford Mustang GT | 1:12.2059 | 0:00.7991 |
22 | 3 | CoolDrive Racing | Todd Hazelwood | Ford Mustang GT | 1:12.3579 | 0:00.9511 |
23 | 96 | Pizza Hut Racing | Macauley Jones | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:12.3689 | 0:00.9621 |
24 | 56 | Tradie Racing | Declan Fraser | Ford Mustang GT | 1:12.4029 | 0:00.9961 |
25 | 4 | SCT Motorsport | Jack Smith | Chev Camaro ZL1 | 1:12.6940 | 0:01.2872 |