Jayden Ojeda, Declan Fraser form surprise top two in Perth
Broc Feeney 12th, Chaz Mostert 17th, Will Brown 18th
Cam Waters 20th, Ryan Wood 21st in short session
Rookies have come to the fore at the Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440, with Jayden Ojeda leading a surprise PremiAir Racing top two in Practice 1.
Rookie Ojeda and teammate Declan Fraser bolted on new tyres for the final runs, and it worked to perfection. Behind them was Aaron Cameron, with Kai Allen and Jack Le Brocq completing the top five, the latter despite battling electrical gremlins.
Points leader Matt Payne kicked off proceedings with a 56.9639s, which was blown out of the water by Brodie Kostecki’s 56.3981s. Payne (56.0369s) and Kostecki (56.0308s) then traded quick times once again.
Allen was first to break the 56-second barrier, logging a 55.9155s on his third flying lap. Kostecki, though, moved the number to a 55.7808s to re-establish his authority on the field, as Broc Feeney jumped to second.
Birthday boy Ojeda was first to fall afoul of the slippery Wanneroo surface, losing control over the Turn 4 kerb and running off onto the sandy verge at Turn 5. Ojeda, though, quickly recovered to third with a 55.8723s.
Payne jumped to second with a 55.7743s as the second runs commenced, with rookie Rylan Gray marching to third with a 55.7802s. It was Le Brocq, though, who lowered the overall number to a 55.6996s, despite being a tenth down to the second sector.
All the while, Cam Waters cut a frustrated figure courtesy of front locking at Turns 1 and 6. Payne, meanwhile, also complained of a lack of drive out of the final corner. The Tickford Racing driver ended up 20th.
With nine minutes remaining, Allen put 0.023s on Le Brocq to put a Mustang back at the top. With six to go, David Reynolds moved his Camaro into third, 0.091s off the pace.
The balance of the field took to the track for the final three minutes, and Kostecki was one of the first to improve. Kostecki put his Mustang into third with a 55.7270s, before Ojeda and Cameron shot to the top.
Fraser made it a surprise PremiAir Racing top two, as Allen failed to make the most of a fast first sector. Kostecki, Zach Bates, Reynolds, Payne and Gray rounded out the top 10, with Feeney 12th, Chaz Mostert 17th, Will Brown 18th, Waters 20th and Ryan Wood 21st.
Fraser and Jackson Walls turned the most laps of the 25-minute session, logging 16 laps of the 2.4km circuit.
Supercars returned to the track with Practice 2 from 3:40pm local/5:40pm AEST.
