Dalton upstages fancied Fords in first Bathurst co-driver session

Erebus Motorsport young gun Lochie Dalton can now say he's topped a Repco Bathurst 1000 session, finishing fastest in the first of two co-driver sessions for the weekend.

Dalton, who also topped the opening DUNLOP Super2 Series practice session on Thursday morning, upstaged several big name co-drivers, as two-time Bathurst winners Erebus showed a glimpse of its rich Bathurst form.

The 24-year-old Tasmanian flew to a 2:05.8739s despite slippery and dusty track conditions, with times a second faster than they were in the corresponding co-driver session last year.

Tony D'Alberto had an early scare when he ran off at The Chase on his first flying lap in Rylan Gray's Shell V-Power Mustang, though there was no harm done. Lee Holdsworth also had a harmless trip down the Murray's Corner escape road.

Driving Jayden Ojeda's #31 PremiAir Chevrolet, David Russell was very speedy early, setting a 2:06.7175s, comfortably the fastest time of the session in the early running.

The usual suspects such as Scott Pye, Todd Hazelwood, and Richie Stanaway also featured at the pointy end, as did Erebus young gun Dalton, who bumped Russell out of the top spot on a 2:06.3299s.

Hazelwood was handed a set of brand new tyres after Dalton set his benchmark, and duly jumped to second on a 2:06.3921s, while Stanaway set a 2:06.4677s to pop the #7 Blanchard Racing Team Ford into third.

Brakes were again a talking point, with Jaxon Evans well down the order in the #2 Walkinshaw TWG Racing Toyota as they battled for confidence in their braking package and a steering complaint.

Evans would complain that his car felt as though it was "sitting on top of the road", with experienced co-drivers Pye and Mark Winterbottom also complaining about the dusty track condition.

D'Alberto, having recovered from his early off, bumped off Dalton just little more than a hundredth of a second, setting a 2:06.2734s, which was quickly knocked off by Zak Best in the #3 BRT Ford on a 2:06.2542s.

Reuben Goodall, meanwhile, caught a spectacular slide on the way up the Mountain, nearly clouting the outside wall into Reid Park. Pushing hard, Goodall, also caught the grass exiting The Chase.

Holdsworth was the next to go fastest, a 2:06.0794s giving the 2021 Bathurst winner 0.1748s in hand. Dalton went back up to second on a 2:06.1401s, including the fastest second sector of the session across the top of Mount Panorama, before he went quicker again, and was the first into the 2:05s.

The times continued to fly in as the shadows lengthened in the final minutes of the session, James Courtney flying up to second on a 2:06.0546s, before Tim Slade joined Dalton in the 2:05's on a 2:05.9825s.

Slade then bowled a wide down the escape road at Hell Corner, while Pye went within a tenth of knocking off the Super2 Series leader, the #888 Ford finishing the day in second.

It was another encouraging session for Team 18, with Courtney and Holdsworth fourth and fifth, and Supercheap Auto wildcard Bayley Hall 11th.

Best, D'Alberto, Hazelwood, Dalton's Erebus teammate Jarrod Hughes, and Stanaway rounded out the top 10.

Friday's Supercars action at the Repco Bathurst 1000 begins with Practice 3 at 10:05am local time, open to all drivers.