Best tops interrupted Super2 practice

Super2 title contender Zak Best has set the early pace at the VALO Adelaide 500.

Tickford Racing driver Best topped Practice 1 for the Dunlop Series by 0.2s.

The session was cut short after the second of two red flags.

Best soared to the top prior to the stoppage with a 1:21.698s.

The Benalla driver led series leader Declan Fraser, with fellow title hopeful Matt Payne third.

The other two title contenders, Cameron Hill and Tyler Everingham, were fifth and 14th respectively.

Payne led the early running with a 1:23.131s, before Hill dipped into the 1:22s barrier.

Hill’s 1:22.317s was quickly undercut by a 1:22.026s by Payne.

Payne’s time came before Jay Hanson triggered the first stoppage with an incident at Turn 7.

Hanson appeared to nudge the barriers at the right-hander, but returned to the lane under his own steam.

Fraser jumped to the top after the break with a 1:21.913s, with Best jumping to second.

Best went on with it and recorded a 1:21.698s, which proved best of all once Chris Smerdon crashed at the Senna Chicane.

Replays showed Smerdon losing his Falcon through the chicane and sliding into the left-hand barriers.

Smerdon slid down the track into the concrete wall, and was narrowly missed by Jason Gomersall.

Smerdon managed to return to pit lane, but the session did not resume.

It left Best atop the time sheets ahead of Fraser, to the tune of 0.2s.

Payne was third, albeit 0.3s down, with Jaylyn Robotham fourth ahead of Hill.

Robotham and Matt Chahda — who was eighth — are returning to Super2 following their Bathurst 1000 wildcard.

The duo opted to sit out of the Super2 Bathurst round in a bid to focus on their wildcard commitments.

Super2 and Super3 drivers will return to the track for Practice 2 at 3:00pm local time.

The session will be immediately followed by the first Supercars practice outing of the weekend.

Tickets for the VALO Adelaide 500 are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.