Shane van Gisbergen set the fastest time in the opening practice for the second round of the Asian Le Mans Series at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Driving the all-Kiwi No.1 Eurasia Ligier JS P217 LMP2 machine, van Gisbergen clocked a 2:36.496s to top the session.

If left he and co-drivers Nick Cassidy and Daniel Gaunt 1.7 seconds clear of the second best No.45 Thunderhead Carlin Racing entry of Jack Manchester.

Times dropped by two seconds from the day’s opening running, a two hour test session which saw the No1. entry record a 2:38.579s.

The Eurasia squad dominated official practice, setting the first meaningful time before chipping away to end the session fastest.

Thunderhead Carlin Racing had a brief spell at the top midway through before Cassidy lowered that benchmark by seven tenths of a second.

Fastest of the LMP2 AM runners was the No.59 RLR MSPORT on a 2:46.312s, a more than three second improvement from the morning’s test session.

Nielsen Racing topped LMP3 with the No.2 Norma M30, recording a 2:53.378s to end the 90-minute session seven tenths clear at the top of the six-car class.

The GT Class went to the Lamborghini Huracan GT3, the No.88 JLOC entry squeezing below the three minute barrier with a 2:59.913s.

Practice continues on Saturday morning at 09:30 ACDT, followed by a three-part qualifying session from 13:30 local time.