Marc Lieb has done it again, topping the second of the two international co-driver practice sessions at the Armor All Gold Coast 600.
The Tekno Autosports driver jumped from 14th to first by setting a 1:12.47s time on his final lap of the 40 minute session, crossing the line after the chequered flag fell.
Ryan Briscoe ended up 0.23s adrift in second having set two quick times inside the final six minutes, splitting his fast laps with a lock-up and subsequent off at the first chicane.
Simon Pagenaud and Stephane Sarrazin also dropped into the 1:12s bracket in the closing minutes to be third and fourth respectively, while Richard Lyons, David Brabham, Mika Salo, Sebastien Bourdais, Lucas di Grassi and Nick Heidfeld completed the top 10.
A single red flag period was required to retrieve the #18 Team Norton DJR Ford from the Turn 14 tyre barrier at the 12 minute mark after a mistake from GT ace Peter Kox.
Kox finished the session 27th in the order, three places behind team-mate Boris Said, who damaged the right-front corner of the VIP Petfoods Ford on the inner kerb at Turn 9 moments before the Dutchman’s issue.
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Another to strike trouble was Tonio Liuzzi, who managed just seven laps before pulling the #3 Team Hiflex Ford into the garage with a tailshaft failure.
Several drivers explored the Turn 11 escape road during the session, including Will Power, James Hinchliffe, Peter Dumbreck (who also tagged the Turn 14 exit wall) and Sebastien Bourdais.
It was a low-key session for Bourdais, who completed just six laps in the opening 30 minutes of running, leaving the Frenchman 28th in the order. The reigning Dan Wheldon Trophy winner then jumped as high as second, before eventually ending up eighth.
Mike Conway meanwhile had his first laps in the Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden after it missed Practice 2 following Taz Douglas’ crash in the opening session. The Briton set the 21st fastest time.
Max Papis was again the slowest of the co-drivers in the #17 DJR Ford, some 2.6s adrift of fast-man Lieb and 0.5s behind the 27th fastest Kox.
The fourth and final V8 Supercars practice session of the weekend will kick-off at 1535 local time.
See below for the full practice result
| 1 | Tekno Autosports | Marc Lieb | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:12.4673 | |
| 2 | Holden Racing Team | Ryan Briscoe | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:12.6980 | 0:00.2307 |
| 3 | Irwin Racing | Simon Pagenaud | Ford Falcon FG | 1:12.7036 | 0:00.2363 |
| 4 | Team BOC | Stephane Sarrazin | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:12.9060 | 0:00.4387 |
| 5 | TeamVodafone | Richard Lyons | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.0229 | 0:00.5556 |
| 6 | Lucky 7 Racing | David Brabham | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.1010 | 0:00.6337 |
| 7 | Trading Post FPR Ford | Mika Salo | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.1147 | 0:00.6474 |
| 8 | TeamVodafone | Sebastien Bourdais | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.1262 | 0:00.6589 |
| 9 | Tekno Autosports | Lucas DiGrassi | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.1385 | 0:00.6712 |
| 10 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | Nick Heidfeld | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.1766 | 0:00.7093 |
| 11 | Holden Racing Team | Darren Turner | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.2325 | 0:00.7652 |
| 12 | Orrcon Steel FPR Ford | Will Power | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.2577 | 0:00.7904 |
| 13 | Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing | Franck Montagny | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.3041 | 0:00.8368 |
| 14 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | James Hinchcliffe | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.3904 | 0:00.9231 |
| 15 | Jim Beam Racing | Gianni Morbidelli | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.4353 | 0:00.9680 |
| 16 | SP Tools Racing | Jeroen Bleekemolen | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.5543 | 0:01.0870 |
| 17 | Pepsi Max Crew | Justin Wilson | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.6237 | 0:01.1564 |
| 18 | Lockwood Racing | Nicolas Minassian | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.7201 | 0:01.2528 |
| 19 | Team Hiflex | Tonio Liuzzi | Ford Falcon FG | 1:13.7609 | 0:01.2936 |
| 20 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Peter Dumbreck | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.8161 | 0:01.3488 |
| 21 | Team iSelect | Mike Conway | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.8442 | 0:01.3769 |
| 22 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Graham Rahal | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.8823 | 0:01.4150 |
| 23 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Ricky Taylor | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:13.9774 | 0:01.5101 |
| 24 | VIP Petfoods | Boris Said | Ford Falcon FG | 1:14.1096 | 0:01.6423 |
| 25 | Wilson Security Racing | Jamie Campbell-Walter | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:14.1380 | 0:01.6707 |
| 26 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Marco Andretti | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:14.2698 | 0:01.8025 |
| 27 | Team Norton DJR | Peter Kox | Ford Falcon FG | 1:14.5926 | 0:02.1253 |
| 28 | Jim Beam Racing | Max Papis | Ford Falcon FG | 1:15.0679 | 0:02.6006 |
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Armor All Gold Coast 600 Race Guide
