Cam Waters has made a late charge to lead the opening practice session of the Darwin Triple Crown.
Interest was high during the session due to a range of contenders encountering dramas, but it was Waters overcoming these to set a 1m 06.286s.
Positioned in the mid-pack throughout, Waters had a spin out of the final corner during a run leaving him facing the wrong way.
Waters finished his lap during the final seconds of the session as did Penrite Racing’s Matt Payne in second by 0.063s after confirming his place at the team for 2027 amid much speculation of a switch to Chevrolet.
Jack Le Brocq led the way for Matt Stone Racing and Chevrolet in third from the first Toyota of reigning Supercars champion Chaz Mostert for Mobil 1 Optus Racing.
Rookie Jayden Ojeda continued his impressive recent form in fifth for PremiAir Racing ahead of the first Red Bull Ampol Racing Mustang for Will Brown, Penrite Racing’s Kai Allen, Anton De Pasquale’s Penrite Racing Camaro, Monster Castrol Racing driver Thomas Randle and David Reynolds completed the top 10 in the Snowy River Racing Chevrolet.
Brodie Kostecki missed 15-minutes of the session due to a throttle body problem in his Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustang.
Many drivers also went off track including Blanchard Racing Team duo Aaron Cameron and James Golding, while Allen also explored the limits of Turn 1.
Jackson Walls made contact with the wall at the final corner bending a control arm on his Objective Racing Mustang.
Qualifying for the Repco Supercars Championship is due to begin at 1:05pm ACST/1:35pm AEST.