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Supercars: Drivers slip, slide and crash in Friday practice for Bathurst 1000

Posted by AR1 staff

In the final practice session for the Repco Bathurst 1000 before this afternoon’s crucial ARMOR ALL Qualifying, drivers have slipped and slid their way across Mount Panorama.

Eleven drivers either slid off or crashed in a practice run that was ended early by a red flag, the third of the session.

Even seven-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes went off track coming down towards the final corner, an area of the track that saw every driver struggle to master the wet conditions.

Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes

In the end, defending Supercars’ Champion Shane van Gisbergen cast aside previous dramas to set the pace as quickest driver in rain-hit Practice 4.

Todd Hazelwood crashed at Griffin’s Bend, and Macauley Jones at The Chase. Will Brown’s accident at Reid Park, with 13 minutes remaining, saw officials call the session as the car was retrieved.

Todd Hazelwood crashed at Griffin’s Bend

Through it all emerged van Gisbergen, whose 2:30.292s was a full second ahead of the rest.

Jamie Whincup made it a Red Bull Ampol Racing one-two, with James Courtney third.

Noted wet-weather maestro Richie Stanaway was an impressive fourth ahead of Brown.

Stanaway led into the final stanza before countryman van Gisbergen went faster, and faster again.

Anton De Pasquale was sixth from David Reynolds, Heimgartner, Will Davison and Lowndes. Chaz Mostert was 11th, with Cam Waters 12th.

Kostecki churns up the Mud

Tony D’Alberto, Cameron Hill and Macauley Jones all came unstuck at Murray’s Corner
A number of drivers hit trouble attempting to enter pit lane, with pit entry under heavy standing water.

Craig Lowndes suffered the most dramatic fate as he surfed through water, which he described as a “water tunnel”.

Van Gisbergen showed his wet-weather prowess with consecutive fast laps to consolidate top spot.

ARMOR ALL Qualifying is scheduled to commence at 4:15pm local time.

The top ten drivers from this session will fight it out in tomorrow afternoon’s famous Top Ten Shootout, that will decide the starting grid for Sunday’s Repco Bathurst 1000.

Practice 4 Results

POS NO. DRIVER TEAM TIME GAP LAPS
1 97 Van Gisbergen Tander Red Bull Holden Racing Team 2:30.292 +0.000 14
2 88 B. Feeney Whincup Red Bull Holden Racing Team 2:31.296 +1.004 15
3 5 Courtney Z. Goddard Tickford Racing 1 2:31.769 +1.477 15
4 51 R. Stanaway G. Murphy Boost Mobile Racing 51 2:31.840 +1.548 13
5 9 W. Brown J. Perkins Penrite Racing – Erebus 2:31.975 +1.683 14
6 100 A. de Pasquale T. D’Alberto Shell V-Power Racing Team 2:31.999 +1.707 14
7 26 Reynolds M. Campbell Penrite Racing 2:32.113 +1.821 12
8 8 Heimgartner Wood Brad Jones Racing 2:32.182 +1.889 14
9 17 Davison A. Davison Shell V-Power Racing Team 2:32.220 +1.928 14
10 888 Lowndes D. Fraser Team Vortex 2:32.452 +2.160 14
11 25 Mostert Coulthard WAU Racing Pty Ltd 2:32.470 +2.178 15
12 6 C. Waters Moffat Tickford Racing 1 2:32.556 +2.263 14
13 56 J. Kostecki K. Kostecki Tickford Racing 2 2:32.685 +2.392 14
14 35 T. Hazelwood J. Ojeda Matt Stone Racing 2:32.858 +2.566 3
15 99 B. Kostecki D. Russell Penrite Racing – Erebus 2:32.922 +2.630 12
16 10 Holdsworth M. Payne Penrite Racing 2:33.143 +2.851 12
17 4 J. Smith J. Evans SCT Motor Sports 2:33.315 +3.023 15
18 55 T. Randle Z. Best Tickford Racing 2 2:33.560 +3.267 12
19 96 M. Jones J. Boys SCT Motor Sports 2:34.310 +4.018 10
20 31 J. Golding D. O’Keeffe PremiAir Subway Racing 2:34.634 +4.342 13
21 2 Percat W. Luff WAU Racing Pty Ltd 2:34.999 +4.707 14
22 14 B. Fullwood D. Fiore Brad Jones Racing 2:35.256 +4.963 12
23 34 J. Le Brocq A. Seton Matt Stone Racing 2:35.751 +5.459 12
24 18 Winterbottom Caruso Team 18 2:35.754 +5.461 8
25 3 Slade Blanchard CoolDrive Racing 2:35.967 +5.674 6
26 22 C. Pither C. Hill PremiAir Coca Cola Racing 2:36.592 +6.300 12
27 118 M. Chada J. Robotham Caltex Young Stars 2:36.595 +6.303 12
28 20 S. Pye T. Everingham Team 18 2:37.936 +7.644 8