Steven Richards was fastest in Friday practice despite being hamstrung by a mechanical issue in the latter session on his ECB SuperUtes Series debut at Queensland Raceway.
The five-time Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 winner took the #18 Team 18 Holden Colorado to a the top of the timesheets in Practice 1 with a 1:28.2824s.
He then went slowest in Practice 2 due to a cracked exhaust manifold, but remained fastest on combined times.
Cameron Crick (#7 Sieders Racing Team Mitsubishi Triton) was second for the morning session, 0.0612 seconds off the pace, and finished at the top in the afternoon session.
Despite the track rubbering in, Crick’s fastest Practice 2 lap of 1:28.9704s was almost seven tenths slower than Richards’ morning time, which was set in cooler conditions.
Series leader Tom Alexander (#22 Ross Stone Racing Isuzu D-Max) finished both 20-minute practice sessions in third at just over half a second off Richards’ pace in Practice 1.
Ryal Harris (#1 Peters Motorsport Mazda BT-50) ended the day marginally slower than Alexander, while two-time Dakar Rally champion Toby Price (#87 SRT Triton) was fifth fastest.
Ben Walsh (#8 Ben Walsh Toyota Hilux) was the first of only four drivers to go faster in the second session, when his 1:29.0011s put him second in that hit-out and sixth combined.
Last year’s series runner-up Craig Woods (#64 Western Sydney Motorsport Hilux) was seventh on combined times, from Christopher Formosa (#49 Ranger Racing Ford Ranger), Craig Thompson (#72 WSM Hilux), Jeff Watters (#68 SRT Hilux), Ben Falk (#17 Peters BT-50), and Charlotte Poynting (#96 SRT Triton).
The SuperUtes return to the track for Armor All Qualifying on Saturday at 0930 local time/AEST.
Results: Practice 1
| Pos | Car | Competitor/Team | Driver | Vehicle | Fastest lap | Gap |
| 1 | 18 | AC Delco Racing | Steven Richards | Holden Colorado | 1:28.2824 | |
| 2 | 7 | Total Tools Team Triton Racing | Cameron Crick | Mitsubishi Triton | 1:28.3436 | 0:00.0612 |
| 3 | 22 | Caltex Delo Racing | Tom Alexander | Isuzu D-MAX | 1:28.8047 | 0:00.5223 |
| 4 | 1 | EFS 4×4 Racing | Ryal Harris | Mazda BT50 | 1:28.8517 | 0:00.5693 |
| 5 | 87 | Team Mitsubishi Triton | Toby Price | Mitsubishi Triton | 1:28.9554 | 0:00.6730 |
| 6 | 64 | Western Sydney Motorsport | Craig Woods | Toyota Hilux | 1:29.2313 | 0:00.9489 |
| 7 | 8 | Fat Freddy’s | Ben Walsh | Toyota Hilux | 1:29.4240 | 0:01.1416 |
| 8 | 49 | Allgate Auto Doors | Christopher Formosa | Ford Ranger | 1:30.0895 | 0:01.8071 |
| 9 | 72 | Western Sydney Motorsport | Craig Thompson | Toyota Hilux | 1:30.2637 | 0:01.9813 |
| 10 | 68 | Sieders Racing Team | Jeff Watters | Toyota Hilux | 1:31.7276 | 0:03.4452 |
| 11 | 96 | Sieders Racing Team | Charlotte Poynting | Mitsubishi Triton | 1:32.1536 | 0:03.8712 |
| 12 | 17 | Tank World | Benjamin Falk | Mazda BT50 | 1:32.4483 | 0:04.1659 |
Results: Practice 2
| Pos | Car | Competitor/Team | Driver | Vehicle | Fastest lap | Gap |
| 1 | 7 | Total Tools Team Triton Racing | Cameron Crick | Mitsubishi Triton | 1:28.9704 | |
| 2 | 8 | Fat Freddy’s | Ben Walsh | Toyota Hilux | 1:29.0011 | 0:00.0307 |
| 3 | 22 | Caltex Delo Racing | Tom Alexander | Isuzu D-MAX | 1:29.0854 | 0:00.1150 |
| 4 | 64 | Western Sydney Motorsport | Craig Woods | Toyota Hilux | 1:29.3946 | 0:00.4242 |
| 5 | 1 | EFS 4×4 Racing | Ryal Harris | Mazda BT50 | 1:29.4898 | 0:00.5194 |
| 6 | 87 | Team Mitsubishi Triton | Toby Price | Mitsubishi Triton | 1:29.5163 | 0:00.5459 |
| 7 | 49 | Allgate Auto Doors | Christopher Formosa | Ford Ranger | 1:30.4046 | 0:01.4342 |
| 8 | 72 | Western Sydney Motorsport | Craig Thompson | Toyota Hilux | 1:30.4711 | 0:01.5007 |
| 9 | 68 | Sieders Racing Team | Jeff Watters | Toyota Hilux | 1:30.7853 | 0:01.8149 |
| 10 | 17 | Tank World | Benjamin Falk | Mazda BT50 | 1:30.9362 | 0:01.9658 |
| 11 | 96 | Sieders Racing Team | Charlotte Poynting | Mitsubishi Triton | 1:31.3631 | 0:02.3927 |
| 12 | 18 | AC Delco Racing | Steven Richards | Holden Colorado | 1:33.0873 | 0:04.1169 |
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