Sandown 500: Dumbrell hands early advantage to Triple Eight
Paul Dumbrell comfortably topped the opening Supercars co-driver practice session at Sandown in the #1 Triple Eight Holden.
Photo by: Mark Horsburgh, Edge Photographics
Dumbrell, teaming up with Jamie Whincup for a seventh consecutive enduro season, went fastest just before the half-way mark in the 30-minute session with a 1m07.846s.
At that point the time was seven tenths clear of the field, and even after a flurry of late times it was still good enough to leave Dumbrell more than four tenths faster than anyone else as the session came to an end.
"I think my first flying lap in the Super2 car this morning, I nearly hit the inside fence waiting for the understeer,” he said.
“I was four wheels over the inside kerb, and it’s [normally] hard to get there.
“The surface looks like it’s deteriorated since it’s been resurfaced in [Turns] 1 and 4, but the lap times say something different.”
Nissan Motorsport's Dean Fiore was the best of the rest, a 1m08.278s inside the last minute leaving him second fastest.
Jack Perkins put the #25 Walkinshaw Holden third on his final run, making him the best of the drivers not to have run in the Super2 practice session earlier this morning.
Alex Rullo was fourth quickest in the #78 Nissan, followed by Tekno owner/driver Jono Webb and Walkinshaw's Warren Luff.
Alex Premat was best of the DJR Team Penske co-drivers in seventh, while Garry Jacobson capped off a decent session for Nissan with eighth in the #15 Altima.
Tony D'Alberto (#12 Penske Ford) and Steve Richards (#888 Triple Eight Holden) rounded out the Top 10.
Tickford Racing endured a slow start to the weekend, James Moffat the best of the team's four co-drivers with 13th in the #55 Ford.
Earl Bamber, the least experienced driver in the field in terms of both Supercars laps and Sandown track knowledge, was 14th in the #97 Triple Eight car.
“I’m pretty happy," said the Le Mans winner. "I expected to be further down because I’ve never been here and the field is pretty close.
“The track is wicked. It’s cool to bounce these cars. It’s the first time I’ve attacked a proper kerb with one of them, so it’s good fun.”
The biggest name outside the Top 20 was reigning Bathurst 1000 winner Luke Youlden, who was 21st quickest in the Erebus Holden.
Cla | # | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Jamie Whincup Paul Dumbrell |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'07.8467 | |
2 | 23 | Michael Caruso Dean Fiore |
Nissan Altima | 1'08.2786 | 0.4319 |
3 | 25 | James Courtney Jack Perkins |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.4458 | 0.5991 |
4 | 78 | Simona de Silvestro Alex Rullo |
Nissan Altima | 1'08.4950 | 0.6483 |
5 | 19 | Jonathon Webb Jack Le Brocq |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.5013 | 0.6546 |
6 | 2 | Warren Luff Scott Pye |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.5740 | 0.7273 |
7 | 17 | Alexandre Prémat Scott McLaughlin |
Ford Falcon FG X | 1'08.5853 | 0.7386 |
8 | 15 | Rick Kelly Garry Jacobson |
Nissan Altima | 1'08.6119 | 0.7652 |
9 | 12 | Tony D'Alberto Fabian Coulthard |
Ford Falcon FG X | 1'08.6396 | 0.7929 |
10 | 888 | Steven Richards Craig Lowndes |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.6610 | 0.8143 |
11 | 8 | Nick Percat Macauley Jones |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.6677 | 0.8210 |
12 | 21 | Dale Wood Tim Blanchard |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.7068 | 0.8601 |
13 | 55 | Chaz Mostert James Moffat |
Ford Falcon FG X | 1'08.7383 | 0.8916 |
14 | 97 | Earl Bamber Shane van Gisbergen |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.7871 | 0.9404 |
15 | 6 | David Russell Cameron Waters |
Ford Falcon FG X | 1'08.8013 | 0.9546 |
16 | 99 | Will Brown Anton de |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.8031 | 0.9564 |
17 | 33 | Garth Tander Chris Pither |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.8729 | 1.0262 |
18 | 14 | Tim Slade Ash Walsh |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.8987 | 1.0520 |
19 | 7 | Andre Heimgartner Aaren Russell |
Nissan Altima | 1'08.9572 | 1.1105 |
20 | 34 | James Golding Richard Muscat |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.9623 | 1.1156 |
21 | 9 | David Reynolds Luke Youlden |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'08.9792 | 1.1325 |
22 | 230 | Alex Davison Will Davison |
Ford Falcon FG X | 1'08.9894 | 1.1427 |
23 | 56 | Richie Stanaway Steven Owen |
Ford Falcon FG X | 1'09.0236 | 1.1769 |
24 | 18 | Lee Holdsworth Jason Bright |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'09.0339 | 1.1872 |
25 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom Dean Canto |
Ford Falcon FG X | 1'09.0678 | 1.2211 |
26 | 35 | Bryce Fullwood Todd Hazelwood |
Ford Falcon FG X | 1'09.6454 | 1.7987 |
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