Power steering drama sidelines Brown/Perkins entry

A power steering issue has curtailed the provisional pole-sitting Will Brown/Jack Perkins car.

Perkins was in the top 10 after a lap 19 restart following an incident for Thomas Randle at Turn 1.

The entry lost 14 laps to the leaders as Erebus Motorsport went ot work to rectify the issue.

The Brown/Perkins entry was the third car to strike trouble in the opening hour.

James Golding, sharing the #20 DEWALT Team 18 Commodore with Scott Pye, was suffering with steering rack dramas.

Golding ran long at The Chase and brought the car in, before the car was returned to the race on lap 29.

However, concerns over the car’s handling forced the car back into the garage.

The #9 Shaw and Partners Commodore entry started ninth for the race, with Brown and Brodie Kostecki both disqualified from Saturday’s shootout.

Smoke billowed from the rear of the car on lap 29 when Perkins was running ninth.

The 2019 podium finisher had taken over from Brown under Safety Car conditions.

"It’s power steering, he’s had a power steering failure,” Brown said.

“It’s disappointing, because we’ll be circulating for the rest of the day looking at this.

“Not much you can do, that’s part of it, isn’t it."

Kostecki ran in the top three positions through the opening quarter of the race, with the pole-sitting Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth car sitting pretty.