Warren Luff strikes back and puts the #2 Holden on top in co-driver session

Warren Luff put the #2 Holden Racing Team Commodore, the first car to spin out in the first practice session, back on top in the second practice session, leading the PRA Ford of Dean Canto and the Triple Eight Holden of Steven Richards in another disrupted session at Bathurst.

The first competitive lap under 2:09 in the 45 minute session was set by Nissan’s David Russell. The 33-year-old, sharing the #15 car with Rick Kelly this weekend, set a time of 2:08.6305 just after five minutes into the session, but was soon displaced by the Prodrive Racing Australia Ford of Steve Owen just before the 15 minute mark.

Dean Fiore became the first driver to break under 2:08, setting a time of 2:07.7898 to put the #23 Nissan Altima in its 1990 retro livery fastest of all, while Russell had a moment at The Chase, charging through the gravel trap.

Ant Pedersen then threw his Super Black Racing Ford Falcon FG X up to second, with Britain’s Alex Buncombe setting the third fastest time in the #7 Nissan just as the session was halted.

It was David Russell who had brought out the red flag, after making substantial contact with the wall at The Cutting. He had lost control of his Altima on the way into the corner, and slid in with the rear of the car hitting the wall, damaging the right-rear suspension, with the front-right also then making contact with the wall, also breaking the front-left suspension.

The session resumed with 17 minutes to go, with Karl Reindler now joining the session after repairs to the #3 Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden had been completed, following Tim Blanchard’s off at Hell in Practice 1.

Alexandre Prémat was the first key mover, putting the Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 at the top of the time sheets ahead of Fiore’s Nissan. He wouldn’t remain there for long, with Dean Canto grabbing the top spot in the Rod Nash Racing Ford Falcon FG X, before he was then demoted in short order to second following a quick lap from Holden Racing Team’s Warren Luff with a time of 2:07.2034.

That time stood to the end, with Canto finishing second and Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Steven Richards setting a late improvement to go third fastest.

Steve Owen also made a late improvement to put his Prodrive Racing Australia Ford up to seventh, despite being caught behind Jack Le Brocq’s Erebus Mercedes-Benz E63 at the final corner, forcing the newcomer wide as he completed his lap.

Also making his Bathurst debut, Macauley Jones ended the session in the gravel trap, spinning out the #21 Britek Racing Holden just after the chequered flag had been waved.

All 27 cars took part in the session, with the two wild cards in the last two spots, with Drew Russell 26th in the Novacastrian Holden and Renee Gracie last in the Prodrive “Harvey Norman Supergirls” entry.

The final session of the day is open to all drivers and takes place at 15:20 AEST.