SVG tops wild second Pukekohe practice

Shane van Gisbergen topped the times in a second practice session at Pukekohe that was interrupted by three red flag periods.

Championship leader Van Gisbergen clocked 1:02.46s to shave 0.008s from the previous practice lap record, set by David Reynolds last year.

The local hero’s time came before the first red flag, called to retrieve debris from the front straight.

Jamie Whincup kicked off the action with a wild spin as he prepared for his very first hot lap.

Running wide onto the wet grass at the exit of the final corner, the Red Bull Holden avoided the walls as it went sliding sideways down the front straight.

Further offs at the same place for David Reynolds and Nick Percat left pieces of styrofoam sign on the circuit, requiring a clean-up.

After the restart, dirt being dragged onto the circuit from the inside of the kerbing at Turn 3 caused a hairy moment for Scott McLaughlin.

McLaughlin spun and backed his Volvo into the Turn 4 tyre wall – a mistake repeated by Will Davison just moments later.

“I pinched the right-front on the gravel that was a little bit out on the road,” said McLaughlin, who continued with a damaged rear bumper.

“That put me wide and I locked the rears on the kerb on the outside, which is still wet.

“I was a passenger when it spun. It was a big hit.

“I thought it would have knocked the wing out and everything, but it’s alright.”

The red flags were soon called to clean up the circuit at Turns 2 and 3.

Davison said that material placed on the inside of the kerbs was always going to cause trouble once the cars hit the track.

“It was packed in pretty tight yesterday, but you sort of know everyone would be driving through it and it was going to bring a lot of mess onto the track,” he said.

“It caught a few of us out, particularly in that first section. There’s so much time to be made there, you’ve got to attack those kerbs.”

Nick Percat triggered the third stoppage by spinning into the gravel trap at Turn 8.

Van Gisbergen’s early benchmark remained the fastest time throughout the chaos.

Mark Winterbottom eventually went second ahead of Michael Caruso, McLaughlin, Bright and Whincup.

The Turn 4 wall saw more action in the final minutes, with James Moffat and David Reynolds both nosing their cars into the tyres before rejoining unscathed.

A third and final 30 minute session will complete today’s Supercars track action later in the afternoon.

Result: Virgin Australia Supercars Championship ITM Auckland Super Sprint Practice 2