Title contenders fastest, rookies caught out in final practice

Broc Feeney and Will Brown have set the scene for a thrilling Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout at the VAILO Adelaide 500 in Practice 3, with rookies Aaron Love and Ryan Wood both avoiding major scares.

A 1:19.7649s, set in the first 10 minutes of the session, was good enough for Feeney to hang on after a flurry of late times amid Shootout simulation efforts.

The margin between Feeney and Brown was 0.1894s, with Thomas Randle, Brodie Kostecki and Cam Waters rounding out the top five.

Love and Wood both hit trouble at either end of the session, the former spinning out at the final corner, before Wood clouted the Turn 8 wall. Love ended up 17th, three positions behind Wood.

Drivers rolled out in hot and windy conditions on Saturday morning, with drivers balancing Shootout simulation runs and race runs in the 30-minute session.

The rebuilt David Reynolds and Cameron Hill cars were put straight to the task, with the duo ultimately ninth and 24th by the end of the session.

Rookie Cooper Murray, substituting for Jack Le Brocq, put his Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet into 12th by the end of the session, behind two-time Adelaide 500 winner James Courtney.

Feeney opened up with a 1:21.0153s, which was quickly unseated by Brown's 1:20.7790s.

Drivers pushed early, Richie Stanaway running off at the final corner, with Courtney forced to run down the Turn 4 escape road. Brown was also testing the limits, first catching a slide over the Turn 13 kerb, before mirroring Courtney's error.

Randle took over at the top with a 1:20.3598s ahead of Will Davison (1:20.6523s) and Reynolds, who impressed to third early with a 1:20.6842s in his rebuilt car.

Feeney then fastest in all three sectors and recorded a 1:19.7649s, which came before Love triggered the reds in the 10th minute after finding the grass at the final corner, sending the REDARC Ford into the barriers.

At the time of the stoppage, which lasted just two minutes, Feeney led Randle, Matt Payne, James Golding, Davison, Reynolds, Kostecki, Courtney, Chaz Mostert and Brown.

After the resumption, Kostecki jumped to third with a 1:20.3735s, before improving to second with a 1:20.1141s. Brown then jumped Randle into third with a 1:20.2760s, but was still 0.5s down on teammate Feeney.

Drivers returned to the track for a final Shootout simulation, with Feeney triggering a kerb hop. Waters jumped to fifth with a 1:20.4552s, but was still 0.690s behind Feeney's early benchmark.

Brown (1:19.9543s), Randle (1:20.0166s) and Waters (1:20.2260s) all moved up at the death, with Davison, Andre Heimgartner, Payne, Reynolds and Golding rounding out the top 10.

Mostert, who will start Saturday's race from 22nd, ended up 16th.

The top 10 drivers from Friday's qualifying session will return for the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout at 12:35pm/1:05pm AEDT.

The Shootout will complete the grid for the first 78-lap race of the weekend, Race 23, which will start at 3:20pm local time/3:50pm AEDT.