McLaughlin heads Team 18 duo in Practice 2

Scott McLaughlin has set the pace in the second and final practice session at the CoreStaff Darwin SuperSprint, just ahead of Team 18’s Mark Winterbottom and Scott Pye.

McLaughlin’s best in the #17 Shell V-Power Mustang was a 1:06.2487s, 0.0086s slower than Pye had managed in Practice 1 at Hidden Valley, but the championship leader cost himself a chance to go even quicker with a small slide on his final run.

It meant that both Team 18 entries ended up within a tenth of the Practice 2 benchmark, Winterbottom on a 1:06.3467s in the #18 Irwin Tools ZB Commodore and his team-mate a 1:06.3481s in the #20 DeWalt ZB Commodore.

Jamie Whincup put the #88 Red Bull HRT ZB Commodore fourth on the timesheet while his team-mate Shane van Gisbergen was 14th in the #97 ZB Commodore.

Andre Heimgartner set the pace through the first flyers with a 1:06.7196s from the #7 Ned Mustang before McLaughlin usurped the Kelly Racing driver with a 1:06.2487s on his second run, having reportedly just taken green tyres.

Anton De Pasquale (#99 Penrite ZB Commodore), Nick Percat (#8 R&J Batteries ZB Commodore), and then Fabian Coulthard moved into second position, the latter with a 1:06.4539s in the #12 Shell V-Power Mustang.

There was little movement as the session passed halfway, although that was when Winterbottom set the lap which would prove his fastest.

McLaughlin set the fastest first sector on his penultimate flyer before Car #17 broke into a small slide at Turn 5 and he aborted the lap.

Having already asked something from what were reportedly green tyres, the DJR Team Penske pilot managed a 1:06.3852s next time around before returning to pit lane for the final time.

Meanwhile, van Gisbergen dragged a 1:06.7385s from his car in what was a possible qualifying simulation, before Pye jumped from 11th to third just as the chequered flag was about to be unfurled.

As such, Whincup’s 1:06.4142s was good enough for fourth, ahead of Coulthard’s mid-session 1:06.4539s and Cameron Waters’ late 1:06.5384s in the #6 Monster Energy Mustang.

Rounding out the top 10 were Nick Percat (#8 R&J Batteries ZB Commodore), De Pasquale, Bryce Fullwood (#2 Mobil 1 Middy’s ZB Commodore), and Heimgartner.

Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Appliances Online ZB Commodore) ended up 11th, James Courtney (#44 Boost Mobile Mustang) 12th, and David Reynolds (#9 Penrite ZB Commodore) 17th.

Qualifying for Race 16 of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship starts at 11:25 local time/11:55 AEST.

Results: Practice 2