Pye edges Fullwood in Darwin Practice 1

Scott Pye has beaten Bryce Fullwood to top spot in the first all-in practice session at the second Hidden Valley Supercars event of the season, the CoreStaff Darwin SuperSprint.

Pye clocked a 1:06.2401s during the final flurry in the 30-minute session in the #20 DeWalt ZB Commodore before Fullwood closed to 0.1021s slower in the #2 Mobil 1 Middy’s ZB Commodore at his home circuit.

Tickford Racing drivers Lee Holdsworth and early pace-setter Cameron Waters wound up third and fourth respectively, while Virgin Australia Supercars Championship leader Scott McLaughlin was 18th-fastest and the Triple Eight Race Engineering duo also outside the top 10.

As was the case in the preceding Rookie Practice session, the fastest first flyer, namely Waters’ 1:06.6253s in the #6 Monster Energy Mustang, beat the fastest lap from the entirety of the corresponding session a week ago, when the Saturday programme started almost two hours later in the day.

Shane van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull HRT ZB Commodore) was second at 0.1704s than Waters’ initial time at the end of the first runs, and McLaughlin (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) seventh at 0.2721s slower than #6.

By the time the second runs were done, Andre Heimgartner (#7 Ned Mustang) had moved to second at 0.1544s back from Waters and 0.0020s clear of Anton De Pasquale’s (#99 Penrite ZB Commodore) slightly earlier lap.

Chaz Mostert finally shifted the benchmark with a 1:06.4943s from Walkinshaw Andretti United’s #25 Mobil 1 Appliances Online ZB Commodore in the final minute, only to be usurped by a former WAU driver in Pye, now at Team 18, moments later.

The other new WAU man, Fullwood, set a 1:06.3422s just before the chequered flag to move into second, the same position he finished in the day’s earlier session when his personal best was 0.6669s slower.

Said Pye, “The most promising thing was not only the last lap but what our pace was like on the used tyre.

“I think it was OK and we’ll just tune it up. It was a fairly scrappy lap but the time’s OK.

“There’s probably a 5.9 or a 6.0 in it if I put it together so there’s plenty to come from me and then a little bit of tuning with the car as well. I think we’re in good stead.”

Holdsworth’s best from the #5 Truck Assist Mustang was 1:06.3914s just after the chequered flag, while Waters had improved to a 1:06.4695s on his final run.

Mostert was therefore shuffled back to fifth, from Rick Kelly (#15 Castrol Mustang), another Tickford driver in Jack Le Brocq (#55 Supercheap Auto Mustang), Macauley Jones (#3 CoolDrive ZB Commodore), Heimgartner, and Garry Jacobson (#35 Yellow Cover ZB Commodore).

De Pasquale finished 11th, one position ahead of van Gisbergen after the Triple Eight driver went no quicker than on his first run.

David Reynolds (#9 Penrite ZB Commodore) was 15th at the end of the hit-out and Fabian Coulthard (#12 Shell V-Power Mustang) 16th.

McLaughlin eked out another 0.0040s on his second run with a 1:06.8934s before DJR Team Penske reportedly changed dampers and springs on both ends of the #17 Mustang, but there would be no more pace to come from the championship leader.

Jamie Whincup finished up 20th with a fastest of 1:06.9753s in the #88 Red Bull HRT ZB Commodore, which was seen with a flapping driver’s door during the session.

Zane Goddard also started proceedings with the driver’s door ajar on the #34 Unit ZB Commodore, while Jack Smith (#4 SCT Logistics ZB Commodore) had a spin at Turn 6 with just over 10 minutes remaining, but the session ran uninterrupted.

Soft tyres were used throughout, consistent with the weekend allocation.

The second and final practice session of Event 6 of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, also half an hour long, is due to start at 10:05 local time/10:35 AEST.

Results: Practice 1