Friday Talking Points: Tickford sends ominous message

The penultimate round of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship officially got underway today with two 40-minute practice sessions at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.

Tickford Racing appear to be the ones to beat having finished one-two in Practice 2, completing an all-Mustang top three ahead of Matt Payne for Penrite Racing.

Whilst there were no major incidents to speak of, there is still plenty to talk about after Friday in Surfers Paradise, with track limits a big topic of discussion as always.

Supercars.com takes a look at some of the key talking points from Friday at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.

Tickford on song

After a quiet enduro season for the Campbellfield squad, Tickford came out all guns blazing on Friday in Surfers Paradise, with Cam Waters and Thomas Randle topping a session each. Randle set the fastest Gen3 lap recorded on the Gold Coast to finish the day on a 1:0.3766s, with Waters only three hundredths of a second behind. Randle was particularly impressive in his Practice 2 qualifying simulations, with blistering pace across three push laps, whilst Waters looks like he's in a good position to hold up his end of the deal to keep his faint championship hopes alive. Randle has suggested that there still might be more to come from both himself and the Castrol Mustang, and if that is the case, perhaps we will see a long-awaited first career victory this weekend.

Kostecki carries Bathurst momentum

After his crushing Repco Bathurst 1000 victory with Todd Hazelwood, Brodie Kostecki has carried the momentum into the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500. Although he flew under the radar all day, the reigning champion finished fifth in the final session of the day, and was only three tenths of a second off pacesetter Randle. Sporting new backing from local Gold Coast petrol outlet Hope Energy, Kostecki is back in 2023 territory, splitting the two Red Bull Ampol Camaros in the final standings. With some key kerb sensors turned off and nothing to lose from a championship perspective, Kostecki would no doubt be eager to rag the #1 Camaro in Boost Mobile Qualifying tomorrow, and won't back down if a strong result is on offer.

Street circuit master surprises

Third in Practice 1 was a welcome result for James Courtney and Blanchard Racing Team after what has been a torrid 2024 season. The expansion from one car to two has been a tough task for Tim Blanchard's young team, with the teams current trajectory unsustainable according to Blanchard himself following a tough Bathurst. However Courtney's pace today will be a big boost to morale, and further boosted by the 2010 champion keeping his place in the top 10 in Practice 2, finishing eighth. Courtney was also fast at Townsville, where he qualified a sensational third on Sunday, before fading away in the race. With passing notoriously difficult at Surfers Paradise, if Courtney can jag another strong street circuit qualifying effort, BRT could be on track for what could be their strongest result since the days of Tim Slade in 2021 and 2022.

Kerb strike troubles

As always, kerb strikes are a talking point at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, however today saw a trial of two key sensors being switched off. The turn two sensor was switched off for Practice 1 as a trial run, which proved successful and will now remain switched off for the remainder of the weekend. The turn nine sensor at the Beach Chicane was also switched off for Practice 2 in a trial, with the high kerbs ultimately self policing in either costing time of a trip into the fence. Kerb strikes will still monitored during the race, with anyone taking extreme liberties with track limits still set to be referred to the stewards. Practice 1 saw an extraordinary 189 kerb strikes in the 40-minute session, though the number reduced substantially to 49 with the Beach Chicane sensor being turned off for Practice 2. It will be interesting to see if anyone will be bitten by the kerbs in Boost Mobile Qualifying tomorrow in the knowledge they won't be punished for aggressive kerb usage.

Trouble free Friday

After a chaotic Friday at Mount Panorama, all of the crews would be breathing a sigh of relief that today ran without any major incident. Whilst there were still some close calls, no car made major contact with either another car or the concrete in the Supercars sessions, though the same can't be said for support categories. Brad Jones Racing were forced into a transaxle change after issues for Jaxon Evans in Practice 1, whilst there would've been hearts in mouth in Practice 2 when Andre Heimgartner was millimetres away from wiping the wall at the exit of the Beach Chicane. Both Grove Racing cars were involved in minor incidents as well, with Matt Payne nosing into the tyre wall at turn fourteen on his way to third in Practice 2, whilst Richie Stanaway was involved in a strange incident when he thumped a tyre attempting to enter his garage in Practice 1. With the stakes set to increase with Boost Mobile Qualifying, a Boost Mobile Top 10 Shootout, and a 250km race on both Saturday and Sunday, expect there to be drama before the weekend is over.