The Tradie Beer-backed driver showed promising speed throughout the 60-minute session and ultimately topped the timesheets with a 51.137s in his Chevrolet Camaro.
Reynolds had to overcome engine gremlins at the begging of the session. Team18 performed a ctrl-alt-delete on his ECU to rectify an engine misfire.
“Really, really ecstatic for everyone,” said Reynolds.
“This is the first round in a long time we’ve really quick. Everyone has done a really good job to prepare the cars to get them here. Everyone is ecstatic. It’s a really good start to the weekend.
“At the start of my session, I had a bit of an engine misfire. As soon as I plucked sixth gear it would make the shift into sixth but then the engine wouldn’t gain power.
“They stuffed around a bit, put a new ECU in and then it was fine. We were maybe a few runs behind everyone but that’s probably a good thing because you don’t change too many things and lose yourself.
Secure your spot today.
“We should do that more often,” he laughed.
The bowtie badge locked out the top nine spots with Reynolds heading PremiAir Nulon Racing’s James Golding and SS Signs-backed Erebus Motorsport driver Jack Le Brocq.
The top 10 was completed by Cameron Hill (Supaglass Racing), Mark Winterbottom (Cub Cadet Racing), Nick Percat (Bendix Racing), Bryce Fullwood (Middy’s Racing), Broc Feeney (Red Bull Ampol Racing), Will Brown (Red Bull Ampol Racing), and Cameron Waters (Monster Energy Racing).
Chaz Mostert was something of an outlier for Mobil1 Optus Racing, only going 14th fastest with a time 0.337s off the session best. His teammate Ryan Wood was one place ahead in the Mobil1 Truck Assist Racing entry.
However, the biggest surprise was Shell V-Power Racing Team drivers Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale who were only 17th and 22nd respectively. However, it’s not known whether they used new tyres in the session.
Reynolds wasn’t the only driver to have early dramas. Blanchard Racing Team’s James Courtney started his session the worst way possible when he suffered a power steering failure on his out-lap.
“We’ve got a power steering drama,” said Courtney.
“I think it’s in the steering rack because it’s super heavy and when I put any lock on it’s holding the pressure and not unwinding it so that car is darting.
“It was impossible to get any sort of knowledge out of it and it’s pretty sketchy. As soon I left the pits I could feel it.”
After the first flying laps, Waters was quickest with a 51.479s ahead of Brown, Percat, Richie Stanaway, and Brodie Kostecki.
While Brown was riding high, teammate Feeney was bogged down in 18th and nearly half a second behind.
The second run saw Brown improve the benchmark to edge ahead of Waters on a 51.455s to go a meagre 0.024s adrift.
With a little over 20 minutes complete in the session, the red flag was drawn from debris on track.
At that moment, Brown led Waters, Percat, Le Brocq, and Stanaway. Still, Mostert and Feeney were bogged down in 15th and 16th respectively.
After the session restarted, Reynolds shot to the top on a 51.450s by a slim 0.004s over Brown.
Mostert then went quickest with just over 25 minutes to go on a 51.449s to go just 0.001s faster than Reynolds but it wasn’t long before Hill usurped Mostert with a 51.312s.
On his 24th lap, Le Brocq went fastest on a 51.300s to improve the benchmark ever so slightly.
At the 50-minute mark, it was still Le Brocq who led Hill and Percat.
Waters fired the first shot on a new set of tyres, setting the fastest first and second sector. However, he locked up into the second-to-last corner and went wide.
Golding was the surprise packet, vaulting from 16th to first on a 51.243s for PremiAir Nulon Racing but was bettered by Reynolds with six minutes to go.
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