Red Bull Challenge Steps Up In P2

TRIPLE EIGHT RaceEngineering might have a new brand this year – but it turns out they’re stilljust as fast as ever.

Jamie Whincup topped thismorning’s second of four, 30-minute practice sessions this morning at the Clipsal500 Adelaide, driving his #1 VF Holden for the Queensland-based team.

Resplendent in its new blueand silver Red Bull Racing Australia livery, Whincup set his time early in his 10-lap run andheld on to top the session from a group of very competitive Holden’s –including his own teammate, Craig Lowndes.

Shane van Gisbergen, RussellIngall (his second third-placed effort from two sessions so far) and Lowndescompleted the top four – all covered by just 0.09s.

Fabian Coulthard was fifthand Mark Winterbottom first of the Ford’s, in sixth.

Team BOC’s Jason Bright andthe Fujitsu Racing twins of Alex Premat and Scott McLaughlin were seventh,eighth and ninth, respectively, with Garth Tander completing the top-10 in hisHRT Commodore.

Twelve of the top 15 cars inthe second session were Holden’s, two Ford’s and one Nissan poking their headinto a leaderboard dominated by the locally-made product.

The ten quickest werecovered by three-tenths of a second, the top-20 by 0.9s and the entire field by2.7s – Kiwi ace Johnny Reid last but at least getting laps in his #12 Dick JohnsonRacing / Wilson Security Ford after only getting four laps in during the firstsession this morning.

There was constantimprovement from Nissan and the Erebus AMGs in the second session, MichaelCaurso 14th for Team Norton in the #36 Altima, despite onlycompleting 7 laps.

Lee Holdsworth was quickestof the Erebus entries, his IRWIN Racing E63 AMG finishing the session 18thand less than 0.8s from the quickest time.

The session ran its fullduration without interruption, with practice three set to commence at 12:30pm –leaving teams with just 45 minutes to turn cars around between sessions.