Quick Pye

He may be carrying a rib injury, but Scott Pye has proved quickest in the first hit-out at the Castrol Gold Coast 600.

On Dunlop soft tyres, Pye recorded a 1min11.7073sec lap around the street circuit, just 0.0399sec quicker than Lee Holdsworth's late lap in the Preston Hire Commodore.

Marcos Ambrose jumped in for the final minutes of the practice session, with Pye pacing himself ahead of the weekend.

"Pretty tender," Pye said of his rib.

"The car's pretty good - pretty fast out the gate, which makes my job is easier. But just that back chicane, the car often bottoms out, it just compresses my rib and knocks the wind out of me.

"I want to drive more than ever finally got the car in a position that's comfortable and I'm not handing it over without a fight, so it's a matter of pressing on.

"The car's good, rolled on strong ... I'm just trying to keep my runs at a minimum. I'll let Marcos have a run today and see how I feel.

"It's early days - I think so it's just a matter of how bad you want something sometimes."

Jamie Whincup had a spin after the first chicane, clipping the wall and breaking the left rear steering arm on his Red Bull Commodore.

He came out relatively unscathed, though, given the position he was in.

"I don't mind this place, it's all about attacking chicanes a little too much but clipped the rear on the wall," Whincup said.

"Generally this thing's pretty bulletproof, but bent one of the arms in the rear.

"The team will replace that and PD will be out in the next session.

"It's a bit of a dodgy place to stop down there, it's not a parking spot, so got out of there pretty quick."

Returning James Courtney - also suffering from a rib injury - spent the session in his HRT Commodore and said he felt good at the end of the session.

He admitted he was a bit emotional getting back in the car.

"Before I got in got a bit quiet, thinking I hope everything stays where it should be but once I got out there and into it your brain switches back... it wasn't to the end of the session I tried to feel what I felt like and it was good and I could press on."

Tim Slade, Nick Percat and Whincup rounded out the top five in the first session. Championship leader Mark Winterbottom was sixth and the first runner on hard tyres.

Click here for full results from the session.

The next is exclusively for co-drivers.