Allen leads Penrite 1-2 in opening 2026 Supercars practice

Penrite Racing have begin their 2026 Repco Supercars Championship season with a bang, sweeping the sole practice session of the DUNLOP Sydney 500.

Kai Allen lead the way in the #26, marking a successful beginning to his new partnership with engineer Riccardo Corte, with Matt Payne just 0.02s behind.

The session began with De Pasquale fastest through the first laps with a 1:28.8534s, ahead of Bates (1:28.8938s) and Kostecki (1:28.9527s).

After briefly holding stop spot through the first laps, Payne returned to the top with a 1:28.7582s, as drivers peeled off into the lane for their first debriefs.

Payne headed two Camaros, with Anton De Pasquale second for new Chevrolet homologation team Team 18, and Matt Stone Racing rookie Zach Bates continuing his strong form from the DNSW Sydney Test Day in third.

The opening session of the race weekend also provided Toyota with a final chance to complete shakedown programs ahead of Boost Mobile Qualifying later this afternoon.

On the initial run, Chaz Mostert went to eighth in the #1 Mobil 1 Optus Supra, before the pace largely settled down in the second runs.

Practice 1 was also a chance for Cameron Hill to evaluate a new gearbox on his brand-new Brad Jones Racing Toyota GR Supra, and also adjust some cockpit ergonomics.

That's not to say drivers weren't pushing, with Brodie Kostecki dropping his left hand tyres off the edge of the road at the exit of Turn 3 in the #17 Shell V-Power Ford.

With 10 minutes to go, Penrite Racing were the first team to throw a green tyre on, with both Matt Payne and Kai Allen rolling out on brand new tyres.

It would take the Penrite Mustangs two laps to get their new tyres up to temperature, with Allen getting the best out of his new tyre to go to the fastest on a 1:28.7330s, just 0.0252s faster than Payne's benchmark from the start of the session.

Broc Feeney had a loose moment entering the final complex as the wound down, as did David Reynolds who also dipped two wheels off the exit of Turn 3 alas Kostecki.

Jayden Ojeda jumped to third with a minute remaining, setting a 1:28.8468s to go to the top of the Chevrolet pile ahead of De Pasquale, with Bates finishing in fifth.

Kostecki was sixth for Dick Johnson Racing, ahead of Will Brown, Rylan Gray, Mostert - who topped the Toyota brigade, and Reynolds.

With the one practice session of the weekend out of the way, Boost Mobile Qualifying for the opening race of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship is coming up next at 4:20pm local time.