Cam Waters fastest again in final Bathurst practice
A solid weekend for the #6 Tickford Racing Ford Mustang of Cam Waters and Will Davison has continued with the primary driver setting the fastest lap of final qualifying before tomorrow’s 1000km race.
Having now gone quickest in four of the seven practice sessions at the Mount Panorama Circuit, the #6 car put in a late, fast lap to jump to the top of the order with this afternoon’s Top Ten Shootout being a target, the squad hunting for pole for the race on Sunday.
The fastest lap early in the session came from Shane van Gisbergen on his shootout simulation run, putting in a 2:04.6283 in the #97 Triple Eight car which stood at the top well and truly ahead of the field for most of the session.
His team-mate Jamie Whincup was on track to displace him from the top after setting a fastest sector and a personal best on his lap but the seven-time champion locked up the rear brakes into Murray’s Corner, running wide and losing a chunk of it.
It took the DJR Team Penske cars of Fabian Coulthard and Scott McLaughlin until the final 20 minutes to join van Gisbergen in the 2:04’s, just out of touch with their New Zealand compatriot but on older tyres, not showing their true speed just yet.
Provisional polesitter Lee Holdsworth was finally able to move van Gisbergen from the top of the timesheets with under 10 minutes to run, going 0.4 of a second slower than his qualifying lap from yesterday but nearly two tenths ahead of the Triple Eight car.
Chaz Mostert came close to toppling his former team-mate Holdsworth, less than a tenth slower in the Walkinshaw Andretti United Commodore but Waters ultimately was the one to dethrone Tickford team-mate Holdsworth, a 2:04.3493 sticking him to the top spot with under two minutes to run.
Ultimately no one could best Waters’ time as Tickford cars took the top two spots with Holdsworth in second while Mostert was the highest placed Holden in third. van Gisbergen’s time from the opening minutes was good enough for fourth, in front of McLaughlin and Coulthard with Nick Percat (Brad Jones Racing), Whincup, James Courtney (Tickford) and Anton de Pasquale (Erebus Motorsport) completing the top ten.
With practice for the 161 lap race now over, only this afternoon’s Top Ten Shootout at 1705 local and the morning warmup tomorrow remain before the 1000km season finale starts tomorrow.
