Photo: Red Bull Racing Australia

Craig Lowndes fastest in first practice at Bathurst

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Triple Eight’s Craig Lowndes was fastest of all in the first free practice session for the 2013 Bathurst 1000km race at Mount Panorama, ahead of Ford’s Mark Winterbottom and Brad Jones Racing’s Andrew Jones.

Lowndes’ best time was 2:10.102, just under two-tenths of a second faster than the Ford Falcon of Mark Winterbottom.

Andrew Jones, sharing the No.8 Holden Commodore of Brad Jones Racing with Jason Bright, set the third quickest time, ahead of David Reynolds in the Rod Nash Racing Ford and points leader Jamie Whincup’s Triple Eight Holden in fifth.

Will Davison was the third fastest of the Fords in sixth, just over half a second down on Lowndes’ time with his FPR Falcon. James Moffat was top of the Nissan Motorsport squad in seventh, just ahead of Matt Halliday. The New Zealander is sharing the No.88 Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden this weekend with season regular Dean Fiore.

Andrew Thompson was ninth fastest in the Erebus Motorsport Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, which he is sharing with Tim Slade this weekend, with Jack Perkins completing the top ten for Garry Rogers Motorsport.

Just outside the top ten was Craig Baird in the second of Erebus’s Mercedes, whilst Andy Priaulx was 12th fastest in the wild car Triple Eight entry, a car he shares with Mattias Ekström this weekend.

The next practice session follows at 13:15 AEDT.