Lochie Dalton tops frantic opening Super2 practice in Perth
Series leader just 0.034s up on Matt Hillyer
Several off-track excursions in Super2's return to the west
Lochie Dalton picked up where he left off to top the opening DUNLOP Super2 Series session in Perth, though he wasn't immune to the drama that unfolded across 40 minutes.
The first Super2 session held in Perth since 2024 was a learning opportunity for many in the field.
It proved a task that was easier said than done, with plenty of incidents littering the session, with four minutes lost due to a red flag, and several cars having off track excursions, including an off for Dalton at Turn 1.
In his first competitive running of any kind in a Supercar since 2025, Aaron Love was immediately on the pace for Eggleston Motorsport, trading fastest times early with Zak Best and Brad Vaughan.
Series leader Dalton then sent out a statement by dropping into the 55-second bracket on just his fourth lap, a 55.9303s putting almost two tenths on the chasing pack, headed by Best.
Matt Hillyer was the first to join the #43 Ford in the 55-second bracket in a strong opening to the session for Brad Jones Racing, while teammate Vaughan overstepped track limits at Turn 7 twice.
The Tickford Mustangs were a little way back from their lofty standards, Reuben Goodall the best of the foursome in seventh halfway through the session, as he returned to action from a successful Supercars wildcard outing in Townsville.
The red flags flew with 15 minutes remaining in the session, when Best spun at Turn 7 and beached his Anderson Motorsport Mustang in the deep Wanneroo sand.
The interruption wiped four minutes of track time, with the track returning to green with just short of 11 minutes remaining.
There was no shortage of drama however, with Turn 7 a continual trouble spot. Best continued to struggle, as did Alice Buckley, both of whom were noticeably running wide at corner exit.
Darwin round winner Campbell Logan was another one to struggle at Turn 7, and baulked Love as he attempted to get back onto the racing line, before also baulking his former Walkinshaw teammate Hillyer.
To top off a session of struggles for Tickford, Nash Morris looped the #55 Ford at Turn 4. Logan and Morris would wind up in 15th and 16th for the session, while Ben Gomersall was 12th.
Matt Chahda Motorsport debutant Lincoln Taylor also came to a halt at Turn 3 in the final minute, though the red flags weren't redeployed.
There would be a handful of improvements in the final segment of Practice 1, most notably Vaughan moving back ahead of Best into fourth, but Dalton's early marker stood up for the balance of the session.
Dalton and Hillyer led a strong return from Love, who rounded out the top three, ahead of Vaughan and Best. Cody Burcher was sixth, ahead of Goodall, Ryan Tomsett, Bayley Hall, and Buckley in 10th.
The second practice session for the DUNLOP Super2 Series will commence at 12:20pm local time/2:20pm AEST.
