Friday Wrap: Is WAU the team to beat in Sydney?

Just 12 days after drivers crossed the line in Townsville, Supercars were back in action at Sydney Motorsport Park for a crucial practice session under lights.

Ryan Wood was a surprise pace-setter at Eastern Creek, with the Kiwi rookie beating Nick Percat and Walkinshaw Andretti United teammate Chaz Mostert.

Big names were up and down the order in the session, which ran until 6:30pm local time. However, does it offer a genuine pecking order for Saturday's action, which gets underway earlier in the day?

After an intriguing day at Sydney Motorsport Park, Supercars.com runs through the key talking points from the action.

Is WAU the team to beat?

The WAU Fords arrived in Sydney with a new look, and were solid over one lap and race runs. Focus was on Wood early on as the New Zealander turned in a race run, before he returned late in the session and jumped to the top. Mostert flew under the radar early on before jumping to the top, before ending up just 0.08s behind Wood. WAU knows what it takes to get it done in Sydney, with Mostert winning the second race in 2022. The team has also made a step forward with tyre life this season, but after a fast Friday start, will WAU Fords remain the ones to beat come Saturday?

Early signs of a Triple Eight bounce back?

The championship leaders encountered a tricky weekend in Townsville, with Will Brown missing out in qualifying twice. Brown lost points with a Sunday crash, but was adamant Townsville was behind him heading to the weekend. Brown led the first half of the session and set his best lap, which was the fourth best of the day, on his final lap. Teammate Broc Feeney was 10th, 0.4229s behind Wood. It was an improvement on Friday in Townsville, when Feeney and Brown ended the day 10th and 12th.

Gremlins for Penrite, Erebus

Matt Payne's win in Townsville seemed a lifetime ago for Penrite Racing as it frantically changed the tail shaft on the #19 Ford in the early minutes of practice. Payne returned to the session after 28 minutes, but ended up 15th, 0.8047s off the pace. Teammate Richie Stanaway, meanwhile, was 17th. Down the lane, Brodie Kostecki cited "goofy stuff under power" in his Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet, which was carrying a new Tickford steering rack. Kostecki recorded just 17 laps in the 90-minute session, fewer than any other driver, with his issues later related to an upright.

Shocks and surprises

Cameron Hill was impressive in Townsville, charging through the field twice. Come Sydney, and Matt Stone Racing was on the pace with Percat second, and Hill fifth. WAU, MSR and Triple Eight were the only teams to get both cars in the top 10, with Tickford Racing (Cam Waters), Brad Jones Racing (Andre Heimgartner), Dick Johnson Racing (Anton De Pasquale) and Blanchard Racing Team (James Courtney) also getting in. The teams to miss out were Erebus, Team 18, Penrite Racing and PremiAir Nulon Racing, with 20 drivers within a second.

Is this a genuine form guide for qualifying?

The session ended under lights at 6:30pm, having started at 5:00pm. What Friday means could mean something different altogether come Saturday qualifying, which will start at 2:50pm. A gauntlet was thrown down by Brown at the start of the session, but as ambient conditions swiftly dropped to below 13 degrees, the field was somewhat split on strategies. Drivers opted for long runs straight away or deep into the session, before several drivers conducted some qualifying simulations late on. Across race runs and one-lap pace, Wood seemed comfortable, an interesting prospect considering he had no prior Supercars experience in Sydney before Friday.