A late run on soft compound tyres saw David Reynolds smash the Hidden Valley lap record to top the opening practice session of the Darwin Super Sprint.
The Prodrive Racing Australia driver clocked an impressive 1:07.28s as he made the most of a short run on the soft tyres at the end of the hour session.
Reynolds’ effort was well under the Hidden Valley circuit lap record as times tumbled throughout the session while the field got to grips with a new track surface.
Scott Pye was another driver to benefit from soft rubber as he shot up to second spot in the dying minutes with the DJR Team Penske entry 0.5s shy of Reynolds.
Brad Jones Racing’s Jason Bright was third fastest ahead of Nissan Motorsport’s Michael Caruso, who had held the top spot briefly.
Tim Slade emerged as the top Walkinshaw runner in sixth ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Craig Lowndes and championship leader Mark Wintterbottom, who led the majority of the session.
Tekno Autosports’ Shane van Gisbergen was eighth while Dale Wood and Chaz Mostert rounded out the top 10.
The session saw Marcos Ambrose complete a stint behind the wheel of the #17 Ford Falcon, recording a best time a 1:09.8s on hard tyres, before handing over to Pye.
CLICK HERE for more from Ambrose and Pye after Practice 1.
Result: V8 Supercars Practice 1, Hidden Valley
| 1 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | David Reynolds | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:07.28 | |
| 2 | DJR Team Penske | S.Pye/M.Ambrose | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:07.81 | 00.52 |
| 3 | Team BOC | Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VF | 1:07.85 | 00.57 |
| 4 | Nissan Motorsport | Michael Caruso | Nissan Altima | 1:07.92 | 00.63 |
| 5 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Tim Slade | Holden Commodore VF | 1:07.97 | 00.68 |
| 6 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VF | 1:08.00 | 00.71 |
| 7 | Pepsi Max Crew | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:08.00 | 00.71 |
| 8 | Team Darrell Lea STIX | Shane Van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore VF | 1:08.04 | 00.75 |
| 9 | GB Galvanizing Racing | Dale Wood | Holden Commodore VF | 1:08.11 | 00.82 |
| 10 | Pepsi Max Crew | C.Mostert/C.Waters | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:08.14 | 00.85 |
| 11 | Holden Racing Team | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VF | 1:08.19 | 00.90 |
| 12 | Erebus Motorsport V8 | Will Davison | Mercedes E63 AMG | 1:08.20 | 00.91 |
| 13 | Repair Management Aust Racing | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore VF | 1:08.31 | 01.02 |
| 14 | Nissan Motorsport | James Moffat | Nissan Altima | 1:08.33 | 01.04 |
| 15 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VF | 1:08.36 | 01.08 |
| 16 | Nissan Motorsport | Rick Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:08.42 | 01.13 |
| 17 | Super Black Racing | Andre Heimgartner | Ford Falcon FG/X | 1:08.48 | 01.19 |
| 18 | Wilson Security Racing GRM | Scott McLaughlin | Volvo S60 | 1:08.49 | 01.20 |
| 19 | Freightliner Racing | Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore VF | 1:08.68 | 01.39 |
| 20 | Erebus Motorsport V8 | Ashley Walsh | Mercedes E63 AMG | 1:08.71 | 01.42 |
| 21 | Walkinshaw Racing | Lee Holdsworth | Holden Commodore VF | 1:08.75 | 01.46 |
| 22 | Nissan Motorsport | Todd Kelly | Nissan Altima | 1:08.76 | 01.47 |
| 23 | Wilson Security Racing GRM | David Wall | Volvo S60 | 1:09.20 | 01.91 |
| 24 | Team Cooldrive | Tim Blanchard | Holden Commodore VF | 1:09.41 | 02.12 |
| 25 | Holden Racing Team | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VF | 1:09.58 | 02.29 |
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