Skaife quick at the Creek

Mark Skaife, six-time winner at Easterm Creek stamped his mark on the second round of the V8 Supercars in the second and third practice session.
Skaife set the quickest time in the third session with a time of 1m 33.0149s in his Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore. Just over one tenth faster than Mark Winterbottom in his Ford Falcon, with reigning V8 Champion Garth Tander setting third fastest time.

The Toll HRT drivers are determined to put the disappointments of the first round at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide far behind them. In fact Holdens filled six of the top 10 practice times.

Earlier in the day, HRT’s enduro drivers, two-time V8 champion Glenn Seton and Craig Baird, stepped back into the Toll HRT Commodores during the newly introduced rookie/enduro driver half hour practice – Seton recording the 11th quickest time of the session, Baird the 14th.

Mark Skaife, was bouant about coming back to the Creek: “Eastern Creek’s been a great place for me over the years. It’s a place you have to try hard at, but it rewards you if you do a great job. We’ve put the disappointment of Clipsal behind us; you have to move forward. Today I was focussed on trying to make the car flow and driveable and it’s a good start for the weekend.”

While Garth Tander is just as determined as Skaife: “Early in the session I think the lack of grip caught everyone out by surprise; I know I had a few moments! We had to get our heads around that and find out what the car did and didn’t like. After two or three changes it was certainly better and it’ll be a better car tomorrow.”