Payne fastest in SMP Additional Drivers Practice

Kelly Grove Racing junior Matt Payne has set the fastest lap in the Repco Supercars Championship’s Additional Drivers Practice session at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.

While the 40-minute hit-out exists mainly for the purpose of giving more laps to the Repco Bathurst 1000 co-drivers, it was the only steerer in the session who will not also contest the Great Race that was quickest of all.

Payne had been installed in David Reynolds’ #26 Penrite Mustang and went as fast as a 1:31.0953s with just under five minutes to go before the chequered flag flew at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Lee Holdsworth took second at 0.0818s off the pace in Chaz Mostert’s #25 Mobil 1 Appliances Online ZB Commodore, in a session in which tyre stock was a significant factor in lap speed.

Most drivers were given a set of at least used soft compound tyres at some point, but Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Garth Tander and Craig Lowndes wound up 22nd and 23rd respectively having just run on hards.

Brad Jones Racing held sway with either of two cars for the bulk of the opening half-hour, Chris Pither fastest after the first flyers with a 1:32.3229s.

He was back on top in the 16th minute with a 1:32.0466s and then a 1:32.0084s a lap later in Macauley Jones’ #96 Coca-Cola ZB Commodore, with team-mate Dean Fiore (#14 Cub Cadet ZB Commodore) and Tickford Racing’s Zak Best (#5 Truck Assist Mustang) having spells in first position in the intervening period.

As more drivers discarded hard compound tyres to join the pace-setters on softs, Tickford’s Thomas Randle vaulted from 23rd to first with a 1:31.5951s in James Courtney’s #44 Boost Mobile Mustang, in the 29th minute.

Best was briefly back on top with a 1:31.5734s before Payne shot up from 21st with the 1:31.0953s in the #26 entry which Reynolds’ co-driver Luke Youlden otherwise would have piloted, in the 36th minute.

Holdsworth similarly improved from 22nd to second position with a 1:31.1771s, before Tickford’s James Moffat (#6 Monster Energy Mustang) and finally Matt Stone Racing’s Kurt Kostecki (#34 Unit ZB Commodore) moved into third spot.

That was how they finished up, meaning Payne is two from two for the day after also setting the pace on debut in Dunlop Super2 Series Practice 1.

Kostecki would remain third on a 1:31.4006s, Kelly Grove Racing’s Matt Campbell (#7 Ned Mustang) was fourth on a 1:31.4080s, and Moffat fifth all-told on a 1:31.5134s.

Rounding out the top 10 were Best, Randle, MSR’s Jayden Ojeda (#35 Yellow Cover ZB Commodore), BJR’s Dale Wood (#8 R&J Batteries ZB Commodore), and WAU’s Warren Luff (#2 Mobil 1 Middy’s ZB Commodore).

First of the Shell V-Power Racing Team drivers was Alex Davison in 12th in Will Davison’s #17 Mustang on a 1:31.7425s, with team-mate Tony D’Alberto 17th in the end in Anton De Pasquale’s #11 Mustang on a 1:32.1765s.

The skies over Eastern Creek were dark for Additional Drivers Practice but the rain held off for now.

The primary drivers are set to hop in for Practice 1, a half-hour session, from 19:45 local time/AEDT.

Results: Additional Drivers Practice Updated