Team 18 demonstrated their competitiveness during Friday’s practice sessions at the Gold Coast 500, as Scott Pye and Mark Winterbottom showcased their skills on a rain-soaked track and in dryer conditions.

In Practice 1, Scott Pye took the retro liveried Hino Camaro to the top of the timesheets, while Mark Winterbottom powered his DEWALT Camaro to a respectable sixth place. The session got off to a challenging start as rain poured down just as it commenced, before the session was declared early to a red flag for kerb damage. A piece of kerb was pulled loose from the front chicane, resulting in the session being declared with just under seven minutes remaining.

Practice 2 brought drier conditions, allowing both Pye and Winterbottom to push the limits of their cars. On a push lap, Pye climbed the first chicane and brushed the wall on exit. Despite this setback, he improved to third with a 1:10.9720s before being dropped to fourth at the session’s end. Winterbottom also displayed his speed in Practice 2 but unfortunately struck a kerb on his best lap, preventing him from achieving an even stronger result.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s action, Qualifying begins at 11:35am AEST, followed by the Top 10 Shootout at 1:05pm. The climax of the day, Race 25, is set to take place at 3:45pm. Fans can catch all the action live on Channel 7, Fox Sports, and Kayo. Check your local guides for further details.

RESULTS & QUOTES

Scott Pye, #20 Hino Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Practice 1: 1st (1:11.5577)

Practice 2: 4th (1:10.9790)

“Nice to roll out with a fast car ahead of what’s a big weekend. Topping practice one and then Practice 2 we were looking good as well, finished up fourth there and a bit of time left on the table. Just made a mistake on my last lap. Excited to see what we can do tomorrow, hopefully we’re fast in qualifying and we can get a good start for the 250ks.”

Mark Winterbottom, driver #18 DEWALT Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Practice 1: 6th (1:11.9905)

Practice 2: 17th (1:11.6273)

 “It was a good day. I think my car’s pretty good actually, just a little bit of braking I need to fix. I did a good lap in the last lap, got a kerb strike and would have been P6, so we’re not that far away, just gotta do the lap, and if I can tidy up under brakes, it should be a rocket, so feeling good about the day.”