The #2 WAU Ford Mustang set a 1:49.2867s around the 4.950km circuit on its final flying lap.

Interestingly, none of Wood’s sector times were the quickest. Kai Allen owned Sector 1, Brodie Kostecki owned Sector 2, and Broc Feeney was fastest in Sector 3.

Kostecki was second in the #38 Dick Johnson Racing Mustang and 0.0272 off the pace while Feeney was third in the #88 Triple Eight Camaro just 0.0584s.

Thomas Randle was fourth fastest in the #55 Tickford Racing Mustang ahead of David Reynolds in the #20 Team 18 Camaro.

“It was awesome to get back out there,” said Wood.

“Juice (Jayden Ojeda) has been tuning it this morning and he’s managed to push it in the right direction.

“The Mobil1 Truck Assist Mustang was solid in that practice session but we need to do it when it matters this afternoon.

“Excited to get going. We’ve found a lot overnight, which is exciting for us. We’ll see how we stack up.”

There was teething trouble for several teams in the opening stanza of the 40-minute session.

The #19 Grove Racing Mustang of Matt Payne and Garth Tander sat idle for the first 15 minutes with a starter motor failure that needed to be replaced.

They completed just seven laps, ending the session 27th and last with a 1.5700s deficit to Wood.

“I pressed the button and the engine didn’t fire up,” said Tander.

“We changed a couple of things, tried to change the steering wheel, because a lot of the systems run through the steering wheel. We tried changing the control panel where the actual start button is and they’re quick to change. Once we isolated it, it wasn’t any of those.

“Brought the car back, jacked it up, changed the starter motor, which takes a bit of time. I’d rather it happen in this session than in qualifying this afternoon. While we lost about 10 minutes, it’s not the end of the world.”

The #7 Blanchard Racing Team Mustang of James Courtney went for a wide ride across the grass at Turn 5. Courtney and co-driver Jack Perkins ended the session 16th. Shortly thereafter, Allen in the #26 Grove Racing Mustang did the same.

Inside the first 10 minutes, the #1 Triple Eight Camaro sat in the pit bay with the team’s attention at the rear of the car with a rear anti-roll bar issue where it took a hit in the preceding practice.

The Will Brown/Scott Pye entry ended the sessions 11th and 0.6477s away from the top time.

The #4 Matt Stone Racing Camaro of Cam Hill and Cameron McLeod was noted for a pit stop breach that would be investigated post-session.

With just over half of the session left, the #62 PremiAir Racing Camaro was parked up in the pit lane with a suspected steering issue. Richie Stanaway and Nash Morris completed 11 laps between them on their way to 15th in the session, 0.7969s adrift of Wood.

There were plenty pushing the limits. Anton De Pasquale pushed the #18 Team 18 Camaro off the road at the triple right-hander. He ended the session seventh.

Macauley Jones in the #96 Brad Jones Racing Camaro also toured the outfield at Turn 13 and went off again at the final corner as the chequered flag waved. Jones was 22nd in the end.

Zach Bates had a spectacular off at Turn 11, sending his #888 Triple Eight Camaro through the gravel trap. He and Craig Lowndes ended up 19th.

Turn 8 continued to be a hot spot for high-speed moments. Andre Heimgartner threw the #8 Brad Jones Racing Camaro off the road. That car was 14th fastest.

Supercars will turn its attention to qualifying at The Bend Motorsport Park, which begins at 3:05pm ACST before the Top 10 Shootout at 4:50pm ACST.

Results: Repco Supercars Championship AirTouch 500 at The Bend, Practice 5