Lochie Dalton tops opening Super2 practice at Bathurst
Series leader pips Ford rival Nash Morris by 0.0710s
No major incidents in opening session of weekend
Lochie Dalton has topped the opening practice session for the DUNLOP Super2 Series at the Repco Bathurst 1000.
The series leader battled with a power steering complaint through the opening 40-minute session of the weekend, but still set the fastest time with a 2:07.2569s.
All 18 drivers got 40 minutes of clean green flag running to open the weekend, though track conditions were very dirty, with times almost three seconds down on the practice/qualifying record set by Dalton last year.
Some were pushing hard very early, Reuben Goodall looking set to go straight into the 2:08s bracket before he ran two wheels wide at Murray's Corner to set a 2:09.0915s.
Dalton would break into that bracket on a 2:08.4724s, with the field spread as large as eight seconds in the early minutes, as several drivers got their first taste of Mount Panorama in a Supercar.
Matt Hillyer and the returning Jonathon Webb both kicked up the dust at McPhillamy Park, while Ayrton Hodson wagged the tail of his Commodore coming under the tree at Sulman Park.
The field spread would reduce, as would the margins at the top of the timesheets, with Goodall, Ben Gomersall, Dalton, and Brad Vaughan all separated by less than a tenth of a second at the halfway mark.
All four were the first into the 2:07 window, with Bathurst 1000 debutant Goodall leading the way on a 2:07.9334s, before Dalton moved the marker further forward to a 2:07.7096s.
Vaughan then went fastest in his Brad Jones Racing Commodore on a 2:07.4987s, with Nash Morris and Webb, replacing Zak Best at Anderson Motorsport, also jumping into the top four.
Bayley Hall, who will line up with Craig Lowndes in the Repco Bathurst 1000, also leapt up to second as the session entered the final minutes, put had several moments at Hell Corner, and a wide run through The Esses.
Gomersall knocked Hall out of second, before Dalton went back to the top to end the session, though Morris put in a late flyer to go within 0.0710s of the series leader.
Vaughan, Gomersall, Hall, Hillyer, Ryan Tomsett, Campbell Logan, Webb, and Goodall rounded out the top 10.
The DUNLOP Super2 Series returns to Mount Panorama for their second and final practice session of the weekend at 2:50pm local time.
