Broc Feeney and Triple Eight Set the Pace
Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney made the most noise at the business end of the field, finishing Friday as the fastest man on track in final practice. Feeney led an all-Chevrolet top seven in Practice 2 with a time of 51.3586s, sending a clear message that the Red Bull Ampol Racing squad is keen to rebound strongly after a subdued showing in New Zealand.
“It’s been really good to bounce back after NZ,” Feeney said. “We were right at the front from the get-go today. I probably pushed a bit too hard in Practice 2 and over-drove in parts, but I pulled it together at the end. We’re in a good spot.”
His teammate Will Brown also featured prominently. Brown topped the timesheets early in the session with a blistering 51.5426s and ended the day third overall after struggling to extract the best from his green tyre run.
“We were competitive all day,” said Brown. “Got caught up in traffic late in the second session but the car’s feeling good. It’ll be key to nail qualifying tomorrow – no mistakes, and hopefully, a clean tow.”
PremiAir Racing Stuns with Stanaway Surge
PremiAir Racing’s Richie Stanaway was the surprise packet of the day. The Kiwi slotted into P2 in Practice 2, only 0.0991s off Feeney’s benchmark, after a late flyer in the #62 Camaro. His 51.0887s lap had been enough to top the session briefly, showing clear promise for qualifying.
“Honestly, it was unexpected,” Stanaway admitted. “We weren’t super confident going in, but we made some solid setup changes between sessions. The car came alive late, so we’re hopeful we can carry that into qualifying.”
Stanaway’s teammate Jimmy Golding was another strong runner. He placed eighth in the opening session and ran as high as third in the second before eventually settling for 17th.
“It was a smooth day overall,” Golding said. “We’ve got some changes planned overnight to find that last bit. The ingredients are there—we just need to refine them.”
Brad Jones Racing Solid but Searching
Brad Jones Racing had all four cars running inside the top 15 at various points across the day, a solid if not spectacular start.
Andre Heimgartner was the standout, finishing P5 and P4 across the two sessions. The Kiwi appeared quietly confident but believes there’s more pace yet to be unlocked from the R&J Batteries Camaro.
“Solid day overall,” Heimgartner said. “It’s so tight out there—it comes down to braking a couple of metres later and staying clean. We’re close, but there’s room to sharpen up.”
Jaxon Evans continued his positive momentum with P9 and P13 finishes, although a late-lap traffic hold-up in Practice 2 hurt his ultimate lap time. “Car speed felt good, just didn’t maximise that final run,” he said.
Macauley Jones, in the striking Karate Kid-liveried Pizza Hut Camaro, went P11 in Practice 1 but struggled in Practice 2 after some setup changes didn’t deliver the expected step forward.
“We’ll go back to what worked,” Jones admitted. “It’s clear there’s pace in the car. Just need to reset for qualifying.”
Bryce Fullwood had a quiet but productive day, running older tyres initially before switching to greens late in Practice 2 and climbing to 12th. “It felt much better once we made that switch,” he said. “Still work to do, but we’re getting closer.”
Team 18 Shows Flashes of Speed
Team 18 had contrasting fortunes across its garage. David Reynolds opened strongly with P2 in Practice 1 but dropped to 14th in the afternoon after a major setup swing didn’t produce the intended results.
“We took a big swing and it didn’t really help,” Reynolds admitted. “Bit frustrating as it took too long to implement, so we couldn’t go back. That said, it’s been my best practice start of the year, so we’ll take the positives.”
Anton De Pasquale, meanwhile, improved from 13th to 10th through the day. His DEWALT Camaro looked more dialled in during race simulation, with the former pole-sitter hinting they’re close to cracking a good qualifying setup.
“We did some quality and race runs,” De Pasquale said. “It’s so close in this field—one or two changes could make a big difference tomorrow.”
Erebus and Tickford: Searching for Stability
It was a mixed day for Erebus Motorsport. Championship leader Brodie Kostecki ended the day down in 18th, while teammate Jack Le Brocq salvaged a spot in the top six late in the second session.
Tickford’s Cam Waters put together a tidy lap to go ninth in Practice 2, while rookie Kai Allen continued to impress as the top Ford driver in P8. Allen led the field at one point before being leapfrogged by Wood, Stanaway and others in a flurry of late laps.
Allen wasn’t without drama, though—he ventured off onto the grass exiting Turn 7 late in the session, joining a long list of drivers who overstepped the mark as the field hunted ultimate lap time.
Thomas Randle, Cameron Hill, and Matt Payne also featured in the top 15 at different points, while Chaz Mostert had a tough outing, languishing down in 23rd after a scrappy Practice 2 session.
Symmons Plains Delivers Its Usual Sting
As always, Symmons Plains Raceway proved its reputation as a deceptively difficult circuit. While the 2.4km layout technically features seven corners, drivers and engineers repeatedly pointed out that only three truly matter—Turn 4 (the hairpin), Turn 6, and Turn 7 (onto the straight). Getting braking and rotation right into those critical corners is the difference between hero and heartbreak.
“We got the braking on the #62 dialled in today,” said PremiAir’s Competition Director Ludo Lacroix. “That’s the key here. Do those three corners well, and you’re in the mix.”
The tight nature of the circuit also meant track position was everything in Practice 2, especially during green tyre runs. Traffic, tow management, and minor errors all played a part in the final shakeup, and will no doubt be crucial factors again in Saturday’s all-important qualifying.
What’s Next?
Saturday morning begins with Qualifying for Race 11 at 9:05 am AEST, where drivers will put everything on the line to secure a strong starting spot on a circuit notoriously difficult for overtaking. With tyre life management and precision driving front of mind, all signs point to a fierce day of racing.
The Tasmania Super 440 has already delivered a high level of competition across the field—from rookies to title contenders, from heavy hitters like Triple Eight to underdog chargers like PremiAir. With race day looming, fans can expect the action to intensify as teams unleash everything in pursuit of victory at one of Supercars’ most technical battlegrounds.
