VALO Adleadie 500, event 13 of the Repco Supercars Championship, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. 1 Dec, 2022.

Team 18 drivers Scott Pye and Mark Winterbottom are feeling confident after a strong outing in Practice 1 on Thursday at the VALO Adelaide 500 to finish sixth and eighth respectively on the timesheets.

Pye, driver of the new-look Toyota Forklifts entry this weekend, made a statement early to top the times for the majority of the first on-track session before finishing sixth fastest after the final flying laps.

Winterbottom also rolled out strong in the IRWIN Tools Holden to feature in the top three throughout the session.

A red flag was called which brought the session to an end with 60 seconds remaining on the clock, as Pye and Winterbottom sat in sixth and eighth position to cap off a strong first day on track for both Team 18 Holden Commodores.

Team 18 return to the track tomorrow for Practice 2 at 1:15pm before Qualifying for Race 33 of the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship at 5:35pm.

RESULTS & QUOTES

Scott Pye, #20 Toyota Forklifts Team 18 Holden ZB Commodore

Practice 1, 6th (1:20.2558)

“The car is fast. and it was good to see us at the top of the times for most of the session and I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend with the car speed we’ve got at the moment.

“The organisers have done a fantastic job with the whole facility, the circuit is looking better than I think it’s ever looked and the new surface is great. It’s tricky because it’s a new surface so the car moves around a lot more than they have in the past.

“There’s a really good feel to the track, this track has great flow anyway, but I’m enjoying the new surface and loving being back here in Adelaide.” 

Mark Winterbottom, #18 IRWIN Racing Team 18 Holden ZB Commodore

Practice 1, 8th (1:20.5081)

“To be back here in Adelaide is amazing and the track resurface is throwing up a few challenges, but we’re fast.

“Both of our cars are very quick and as a team we didn’t get to show our outright speed with red flags and stuff at the end, but a really good start and I have a lot of confidence for tomorrow, hopefully we can maintain this form.

“The track is massively different, the new surface makes the cars move around a lot. When it’s really grippy, it’s on, it’s got so much grip and as soon as you step over its very tricky, it’s going to make for good racing. The degradation is low, but when you make a mistake it will be a big one.”