Tekno Autosports ended the Friday practice in Townsville still struggling to solve a vibration that left driver Shane van Gisbergen feeling sick behind the wheel.
Despite a positive debut for the team's new chassis at Hidden Valley last month, the Holden proved troublesome from the outset of practice in Townsville.
Completing just six laps in the first session, the team checked over the car – including verifying that the main prop shaft was not out of alignment – before returning to the track for Practice 2.
Van Gisbergen pulled in after just one lap in that session, after which the team replaced the entire driveline before returning to the track for the final 30 minute hit-out.
“It was a little better in that third session, I didn't get sick from it, but it's not fixed,” Van Gisbergen told Speedcafe.com.
“Earlier it was a deep, harmonic vibration which is no good for you. It just leaves you sick in the gut. It's really bad.
“But even in that last session I couldn't really see at the end of the straight, so it's pretty average.”
Remarkably, the Kiwi managed to set the seventh fastest time in Practice 3 to emerge clearly ahead of Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup in the sister Triple Eight chassis.
Speaking in the paddock on Friday afternoon, Van Gisbergen said he was confident that the problems will be fixed tomorrow.
“They did everything in Practice 2, pretty much from the bell-housing back it was all new, replaced and checked,” he said.
“It's hard to know what else is next but they'll go through it all again tonight and I'm sure they'll get it fixed.
“It seems reasonably fast, but we'll just have to see. Tomorrow it can only be faster when it feels nice.
“We tried a few things but you don't have full confidence in the car when it's shaking itself so bad.”