Friday Talking Points: Which team has the edge, and will it rain?
The 2024 Supercars enduro season began today as the first three practice sessions were held at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
Three different teams topped the sessions today, with Tickford Racing, Triple Eight, and Erebus Motorsport all appearing at the top of the timesheets at the end of each session.
They weren't the only cars to impress, as Brad Jones Racing and Walkinshaw Andretti United also displayed great speed.
However, it could all change tomorrow, with the Melbourne weather set to get up to its usual unpredictable tricks to really throw a curveball into Boost Mobile Qualifying.
Supercars.com takes a look at some of the key talking points from Friday at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
BJR’s season turnaround continues
After Bryce Fullwood claimed a well deserved maiden podium of his BJR tenure in Tasmania, hopes for the Albury squad at Sandown were downplayed by team owner Brad Jones. However, the #8 Camaro of Andre Heimgartner and Declan Fraser was a constant presence at the top of the timesheets on Friday, claiming sixth, second, and third across the day’s three sessions. Fraser in particular was impressive in the exclusive co-driver session, as he seeks to re-establish himself in the Supercars scene after a difficult rookie campaign last year. Heimgartner would be licking his lips at the prospect of a wet qualifying session tomorrow, having claimed an emotional victory in the wet at Taupō earlier in the season. If Heimgartner can qualify toward the front tomorrow, there’s no reason they can’t feature in the conversation for a Sandown 500 win based on today’s pace.
Erebus is strong
With a bridge now built over the troubled waters of the start of the season, Erebus Motorsport have brought two fast Camaros to Sandown. Brodie Kostecki is out for race wins, and Todd Hazelwood is the most experienced co-driver in the field when it comes to Supercars starts in 2024. They didn’t set the world on fire today, but Hazelwood did set some good times in the co-driver session, so there could potentially be more to come from the #1 in the coming days. The sister car had a great day, with Jack Le Brocq claiming the Friday spoils after topping Practice 3. Le Brocq was full of praise for the team after a successful test day at Winton, which clearly had benefits for their Sandown setup. Kostecki is another driver who might be looking forward to a bit of rain tomorrow, whilst Le Brocq will be looking to capitalise on his early pace having failed to do so in Tasmania.
Mostert/Holdsworth put 2023 in the past
Walkinshaw Andretti United keep on proving that their inconsistencies from 2023 and even the early stages of the season are becoming a thing of the past. Sandown last year was an absolute disaster for Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth, never looking like contending for any meaningful points and finishing a lap down in 22nd. This year has already been a much better Sandown campaign. Mostert and Holdsworth both rolled out on the pace in Practice 1 and Practice 2 respectively, with Holdsworth in particular sitting at the top of the timesheets for the majority of the co-driver session. The #25 Mustang might’ve only ended up eighth in a curious final session of the day, but there didn’t appear to be any concern from the WAU camp. Mostert and Holdsworth are the only non-Triple Eight combination to win an enduro since 2020, and now they’ve brought back the black and teal livery that resembles the 2021 Bathurst winner, they’re definitely in the conversation this weekend.
Race runs or qualifying runs, who did what?
As is always the case after Friday practice, there is plenty of intrigue as to who is keeping their cards to their chest when it comes to one lap pace. The enduros place an absolute premium on race pace, however track position is also critical with a 3.1km circuit and sub 70-second lap times. Matt Stone Racing ran a race program for Nick Percat and Dylan O’Keeffe in the final session of the day, which saw them tumble down towards the bottom of the order in 25th, having been a top ten feature all day. There was also the somewhat unusual situation of several co-drivers doing qualifying simulations at the end of their co-driver only session, with Scott Pye jumping to the top for Triple Eight on account of his qualifying run. Dick Johnson Racing were also curiously absent from the top of the timesheets all day, appearing to focus on race runs instead of one-lap pace.
Will rain wash away Friday’s form guide?
Friday was a cool, but dry affair at Sandown, however Saturday appears like it’ll be a very different proposition. The old adage is that you always get four seasons in one day in Melbourne, however if we were using tropical seasons, tomorrow seems like it’ll be the wet season. The official forecast is for a very high chance of between 3-10mm of rain to fall in the morning and afternoon, with a chance of thunderstorms and small hail. Sandown is notoriously treacherous in wet weather, and will add an extra variable for Boost Mobile Qualifying tomorrow afternoon, and the top ten shootout. With Sunday expected to be dry, tomorrow will throw a real spanner in the works for race preparation, and could also jumble the grid for Sunday. The slippery nature of a wet Sandown also lends itself to red flag interruptions, which drains valuable time in nailing a wet setup for qualifying should you need it. In the co-driver session today we saw the wildcard Camaros of Cooper Murray and Brad Vaughan leap into the top 10, what other surprises could we see tomorrow if the heavens open?
