BATHURST 1000 – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5 – PRACTICE
Fabian Coulthard & Tony D'Alberto - No. 12 Shell V-Power Racing Ford
Practice 1 – 4th (Fastest Lap: 2m06.6051s - Fabian)
Practice 2 – 3rd (Fastest Lap: 2m06.7830s - Tony)
Practice 3 – 3rd (Fastest Lap: 2m05.3279s - Fabian)
Scott McLaughlin & Alex Premat - No. 17 Shell V-Power Racing Ford
Practice 1 – 7th (Fastest Lap: 2m06.7452s - Scott)
Practice 2 – 17th (Fastest Lap: 2m07.9771s - Alex)
Practice 3 – 2nd (Fastest Lap: 2m05.1276s - Scott)
Fabian Coulthard - No. 12 Shell V-Power Racing Ford
Recap: It was a strong, solid day for Car 12 on the opening day of the 2017 Bathurst 1000. With several cars hitting walls, it was extremely important to keep the car straight. Opening practice saw Fabian put the car into the top 5, as he eased into setting a fast lap around this daunting circuit. Tony did a good job in the co-driver session, working on race pace while Fabian focused on qualifying speed. A rear balance issue was resolved late in the third session, with Fabian able to push the car deep into the ‘fives’ for third fastest time of the day.
Coulthard Quote: "There were a few incidents out there today, so it's good to get through the session unscathed. There was plenty of information flowing between both cars, which has been really good and I'm really happy with the progress. Turning laps around this place is awesome, it's the best track in the country and one of the best in the world."
D'alberto Quote: "It was pretty warm out there, and for me we focused on a race run, staying out a bit longer. I felt pretty comfortable and happy in the car. It was a good first day for us. We saw a few cars get damaged, so good to bring the car back straight and be ready for tomorrow."
Scott McLaughlin - No. 17 Shell V-Power Racing Ford
Recap: The Car 17 crew opened the day with a car that was loose across the top of the tricky Mount Panorama circuit. Scott, Alex and engineer Ludo Lacroix worked to tune the car, with the results coming to the crew across the day. Alex worked on race pace on old tyres in Practice 2, before McLaughlin went into a qualifying sim in final practice. With provisional qualifying tomorrow afternoon, the team will continue to tune the cars across Practice 5 and 6 in the morning.
McLaughlin Quote: "The car is good. It was loose at the start, and then between Alex and I we got it sorted. The 5.1 lap was pretty strong, really my first hard lap of the weekend. I didn't improve on my second, but I keep reminding myself that it's Thursday, and the race is won on Sunday."
Premat Quote: "The car feels pretty good, I feel very comfortable and we've been working on the car to make it better for both qualifying and the race. It's nice to be back in Bathurst, it's unique and very special going over the mountain, I just love it here."