Feeney tops dramatic first Bathurst 500 practice

Broc Feeney has topped a dramatic opening session of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, which featured errors galore at Mount Panorama.

The first session of the Thrifty Bathurst 500 was punctuated by two red flags, while several drivers made mistakes in the first competitive running of the year.

All told, Feeney was quickest in his #88 Red Bull Ampol Chevrolet, with Matt Stone Racing recruit Nick Percat second in his #10 Bendix Chevrolet.

Only Percat, Will Brown (#87 Red Bull Ampol Chevrolet) and Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Chevrolet) were within a second of Feeney’s time, which was set early on.

The session was suspended just seconds in, with Jack Le Brocq pulling the #9 TFH Hire Services Chevrolet over on approach to the Cutting with a suspected oil pressure problem.

Later, Richie Stanaway crashed coming down the Mountain, with the New Zealander stopping the damaged #26 Penrite Ford on Conrod Straight. When cars rolled out after the first stoppage, Feeney set a 2:07.9551s, which proved the benchmark for the rest of the session.

Drivers were pushing hard from the get-go, with Mark Winterbottom (#18 DEWALT Chevrolet) and Bryce Fullwood (#14 Middy’s Electrical Chevrolet) kicking up dust at McPhillamy.

After drivers completed installation laps and returned to pit lane, the intensity remained high, with Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Ford) pushing hard and locking up into Forrest's Elbow.

With 37 minutes remaining, Stanaway clipped the wall into the Dipper and rolled his damaged Mustang down the Mountain, before pulling over on Conrod Straight.

After a short stoppage, the field returned to the track, and the mistakes continued. Notably, Fullwood, Winterbottom and Macauley Jones (#96 Pizza Hut Chevrolet) ran long at Hell Corner.

Rookie Ryan Wood (#2 Mobil 1 Truck Assist Ford) also dropped two wheels onto the grass at McPhillamy Park, with a number of teams putting new Dunlop Hard tyres on their cars.

Cameron Hill improved to seventh in the #4 Tyrepower Chevrolet, before jumping to fifth. With four minutes remaining, Feeney’s time remained the benchmark, and it proved best of all when the chequered flag flew.

Percat, Brown, Heimgartner and Hill completed the top five, with Stanaway first Ford home in sixth despite sitting out the second half of the session.

David Reynolds (#20 TRADIE Beer Chevrolet), Matt Payne (#19 Penrite Ford), Todd Hazelwood (#99 TFH Hire Services Chevrolet) and Anton De Pasquale rounded out the top 10.

Winterbottom ended up 13th, with Mostert 18th. Tickford Racing drivers Thomas Randle (#55 Castrol Ford) and Cam Waters (#6 Monster Energy Ford) ended up 14th and 23rd, with Le Brocq not setting a lap.

Supercars will return to the track for another 60-minute session, Practice 2, at 4:20pm AEDT.