Practice makes perfect as Payne pips Supercars rivals
Supercars youngster Matt Payne saved his best for last to top the final practice session in Perth.
The Grove Racing driver set a lap time of 54.390 seconds in a last-gasp effort to top the time sheet at Wanneroo Raceway on Friday.
He pipped Team 18's Anton De Pasquale by 0.085 seconds with the final lap of the 30-minute session.
Payne will be looking to back up his race win in Tasmania, having moved into third in the series after denying championship leader Broc Feeney by 0.0550 seconds in the final sprint.
"We've made huge gains with our car," Payne said.
"Last year we were just too inconsistent to be fighting for the championship.
"We've really tried to, coming into this week, up the prep and just make sure we're across everything."
Thomas Randle, rewarded by Tickford with a two-year deal earlier in the week, was third fastest.
Randle is still chasing his first career win, having joined Supercars full-time in 2022.
"When will that happen? Hopefully, this weekend," Randle said.
The red flag was brought out after 13 minutes on Friday when Tickford wildcard Lochie Dalton got stuck in the gravel at the first turn.
Dalton's Mustang nearly rolled on to its side when the Super2 driver locked his rears going into turn one.
He avoided any damage and was able to rejoin the fray.
Brad Jones Racing's Jaxon Evans was fastest in the opening practice session, clocking 55.086 seconds after putting on new soft tyres.
He was 0.359 seconds quicker than fellow sophomore driver Ryan Wood, with Feeney third fastest.
Rookies and drivers in their second year are allotted an extra set of tyres for practice, allowing Evans to post his time.
Evans will be out to continue his rise after posting his career-best qualifying result in Tasmania, starting seventh in the final sprint race.
"It's really nice to finish the session on top. It's the first time I've done it in Supercars," Evans said.
Triple Eight ace Feeney is out to extend his 33-point lead over reigning champion Will Brown, eyeing a clean sweep of the three sprint races in Perth.
Meanwhile, Walkinshaw Andretti United's Wood will hope to break through for a maiden career win after finishing on the podium for the first time in New Zealand.
Drivers return to the track for back-to-back qualifying sessions at 11.45am (AEST) on Saturday before Race 14 of the season at 2.55pm.
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