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

Results: Practice 2