Waters pips Davison in Symmons Practice 1

Cameron Waters has pipped Will Davison to Practice 1 bragging rights at the Beaurepaires Tasmania SuperSprint by 0.0048s.

Waters set a 50.8468s with the chequered flag out in the #6 Monster Energy Mustang, bettering Davison’s 50.8516s just prior in the #17 Shell V-Power Mustang.

Less than a tenth of a second covered a top four rounded out by Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Appliances Online ZB Commodore) and Jack Le Brocq (#5 Truck Assist Mustang).

Championship leader Shane van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull Ampol ZB Commodore) was fifth-fastest in the 30-minute hit-out, which ran in sunny but cold conditions at Symmons Plains.

There was a red flag before anyone had set a lap time when the Tim Slade-driven #3 CoolDrive Mustang lost its right-rear wheel and came to a halt at the start of the pit entry road.

When the first flyers finally came, it was David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang) from near the back of the queue who was fastest with a 51.5565s.

Van Gisbergen quickly reclaimed the position which Reynolds had taken off him in clocking a 51.1312s next time around, followed by a 51.0208s and a 50.9640s to end his first run proper.

Mostert moved to the top when he laid down a 50.9067s just beyond the 10-minute mark, and that stood as the best for some time despite threats from van Gisbergen and Anton De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang) in the final five minutes.

Le Brocq jumped to as high as second place with a final-minute 50.9118s before Davison, who had recently run long at the Turn 4 Hairpin, set his fastest lap of the session.

Waters, however, had just a little bit more in elevating himself from seventh to first on his last tour, meaning two Tickford Racing entries in the top four.

“We got through most of what we were trying to achieve in that session,” he said.

“We put a set of greens on at the end and cleaned up a lot of issues.

“I’m not really too sure what the other guys did out there, if they put tyres on or not, but yeah the car is good over one lap like it has been all year and we’re just trying to work on our race car.”

Van Gisbergen ended up fifth but confirmed after the session that he had saved both sets of handback tyres, with Reynolds sixth from Slade, Will Brown (#9 Ozland ZB Commodore), and De Pasquale.

Jamie Whincup rounded out the top 10 with a personal best 51.0579s in the #88 Red Bull Ampol ZB Commodore, while Fabian Coulthard (#19 Local Legends ZB Commodore) was 11th and Mark Winterbottom (#18 Irwin Tools ZB Commodore) 15th.

Practice 2 for the Repco Supercars Championship field, also a half-hour session, starts at 11:25 local time/AEST.

Results: Practice 1