Rookie Murray gaps the field in final co-driver practice
Cooper Murray gaps the field in final co-driver practice
Triple Eight wildcard 0.4s faster than James Moffat on Saturday
Jayden Ojeda third after crashing in opening minutes at Hell Corner
Triple Eight wildcard Cooper Murray has gapped his rivals in final co-driver practice at the Repco Bathurst 1000, as teams begin to cast attention to Sunday's Great Race.
Murray, racing with seven-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes, fired in consecutive fast laps to put 0.4243s on closest rival James Moffat.
Aboard Cam Waters' Monster Energy Ford Mustang, Moffat loomed to remain fastest of all with a 2:07.5194s, with Jayden Ojeda just 0.0595s behind despite crashing early in the session.
Ojeda put his Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet into the Hell Corner barriers in the opening minutes, but with a new front bar, returned on the pace and sat second before Murray set about going fastest of all.
Jordan Boys was a surprise fourth in Macauley Jones' Pizza Hut Camaro, ahead of Fabian Coulthard in rookie Ryan Wood's Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford.
Scott Pye had a better time of it versus his Thursday crash, ending up sixth ahead of Aaron Cameron, Lee Holdsworth, Todd Hazelwood and Garth Tander.
After the session began with a Full Course Yellow speed limiter test, which saw a close call down Conrod Straight, Michael Caruso (2:09.7268s), Moffat (2:09.5303s) and Jamie Whincup (2:09.1800s) pushed the number forward, with Pye quickest with a 2:09.0652s before Ojeda locked up and hit the wall.
Pye returned and clocked a 2:08.1208s as drivers set off on race runs, with tyre degradation on the Hard compound seemingly a non-issue as the session wore on.
Pye pressed on with a 2:07.7633s before Coulthard clocked a 2:07.6904s, with Tander (2:07.7650s) and Declan Fraser (2:07.9887s) also improving.
Moffat laid down a 2:07.5194s to lead the way, with Ojeda jumping to ninth with a new front bar on a 2:08.0180s. With 20 to go, Ojeda powered his repaired Tyrepower Camaro to second with a 2:07.5789s, which was just 0.0595s down on Moffat's time.
Rookie Cameron, who claimed Dunlop Series pole with a record-breaking lap earlier on Saturday, impressed with a jump from 18th to fourth on a 2:07.7291s.
In the closing minutes, Boys from 19th to third with a 2:07.6305s, with Coulthard missing out on a fast lap after an error at the final corner.
Behind Coulthard, Murray soared to the top with a 2:07.2539s to put 0.2655s on Moffat's earlier time, before backing it up with a 2:07.0951s to end up well up the road.
The repaired Dick Johnson Racing and Team 18 cars, which required overnight rebuilds after being heavily damaged in qualifying, ended up 12th and 24th with Kai Allen and Warren Luff behind the wheel.
The Pye, Hazelwood and Cameron Crick cars cut the most laps with 26, with the Allen and Luff cars turning 20 and 17 laps following their respective repairs.
Supercars will return to the track for Practice 6 at 1:10pm AEDT, followed by the blockbuster Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout at 5:05pm. Tickets for the Repco Bathurst 1000 are on sale now.
