Cameron fastest by 0.05s, Kelly crashes hard in final practice
Aaron Cameron tops Dunlop Series for first time
Jarrod Hughes and Max Vidau both within a tenth of a second
Mason Kelly has heavy crash in sister Kelly Racing Mustang
Aaron Cameron has topped a Dunlop Series session for the first time in his career, topping the timesheets in Practice 2 at the Repco Bathurst 1000.
Cameron beat Image Racing's Jarrod Hughes by just 0.05s in an intense conclusion to the session, with Anderson Motorsport's Max Vidau only 0.08s behind in third.
Super3 Series leader Cody Burcher was unable to join the session after a heavy crash in Practice One, with MW Motorsport targeting a Friday return for the #15 Nissan.
Jobe Stewart was set to go to the top on his first flyer before firing off at The Chase, a trick Jonathon Webb then repeated, before the session was brought to a halt.
Mason Kelly had a very heavy crash coming under the tree, with the car briefly launching on to two wheels before landing and pulling up on driver's left.
The son of 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly walked out of the car under his own power, but the #22 Mustang was heavily damaged, and is in doubt to return this weekend.
The incident occurred right in front of Vidau, who recounted what he saw during the 15-minute red flag period.
"Yeah it didn't look ideal, I've come around the corner and I just saw a spring bouncing across the road among other things," said the South Australian.
"I got most of the way out of the way, I think I ran over a little bit of stuff so hopefully the car is ok. Hopefully Mason is alright as well and we see him again."
When the session resumed with 12 minutes to go, Zach Bates was the first to break into the 2:06s, setting a 2:06.9716s for Walkinshaw Andretti United.
Jarrod Hughes was next to break in on a 2:06.9826s, before Vidau went to the top on a 2:06.9139s.
Cameron then joined the party on a 2:06.7147s, before Hughes responded once again with a 2:06.6465s to go back to the top.
Cameron then set the ultimate benchmark on a 2:06.5902s to give the Kelly Racing crew something to smile about after Kelly's crash.
Lochie Dalton and Rylan Gray continued Tickford's strong Thursday in fourth and fifth, ahead of Bates and Allen.
Jordyn Sinni finished in eighth, with Reuben Goodall and Campbell Logan rounding out the top ten.
Thomas Maxwell was 11th outright, and fastest of the Super3 runners on a 2:08.0611s in the sole MW Motorsport Nissan running this afternoon.
The Dunlop Series returns to the track for Boost Mobile Qualifying at 9:30am AEDT, before Race 9 of the 2024 Dunlop Series begins at 3:20pm AEDT.
