Winterbottom tops practice

Jamie Whincup has triggered a red flag in the dying minutes of practice running off-track and prematurely ending the session at ITM 500 Auckland. It was the only practice session the V8 Supercars have today, with Qualifying just minutes away in New Zealand.

The new format means practice was more important than ever at the Pukekohe circuit.

Mark Winterbottom has topped the time sheets with a 1min03.5007 lap, a mere 0.08sec quicker than nearest competitor, local Scott McLaughlin, with Qualifying for this afternoon’s 100km race just minutes away.

Will Davison, Rick Kelly, Jack Perkins, David Reynolds, Jason Bright, Jame Courtney, Shane van Gisbergen and Lee Holdsworth completed the top 10.

Others to note include local Fabian Coulthard in 11, Whincup 13, Garth Tander 16 and Craig Lowndes 18.

Click here to see full practice results.

The 20-minute qualifying session begins at 12.15pm local time, ahead of the 100km race at 1.35pm.

Teams will have another 30-minute practice tomorrow morning, with a 35-minute turnaround to the back-to-back qualifying sessions.

Last year it was local young gun McLaughlin who recorded the first win at Pukekohe, with Whincup, Davison and Bright also victorious at the 2.91km circuit.

The Jason Richards Memorial Trophy will again be awarded to the driver with the most points at the completion of this weekend’s four races.