Supercars young gun Cam Waters has topped the time sheets in Friday’s final practice session ahead of the Gold Coast 600.
The Ford star clocked one minute, 09.96 seconds ahead of Holden’s Shane van Gisbergen and seven-time series champion Jamie Whincup.
Runaway series leader Scott McLaughlin could manage only the seventh-fastest time in the 25-strong field but not for lack of trying.
The Ford star admitted he was guilty of attacking the tough street circuit too aggressively after his uncharacteristic finish outside the pace setters.
“Today was about trying different things but I have been trying too hard – I have just got to tone it down a bit,” McLaughlin said.
There was only one red flag during the third and final 30-minute practice session after water was found on the track on turn three.
“It’s crazy stuff. Did someone have a bath and now it is on the track?” Whincup said.
Waters hoped he had plenty more in the tank for Saturday’s qualifying for the opening 102-lap race.
“It’s about trusting the car that it will do the job (on tight street circuit) but we were thereabouts,” Waters said.
McLaughlin has grabbed a 622-point championship lead coming into the Gold Coast round, having retained the Bathurst 1000 title after a stewards hearing into his Ford outfit DJR Team Penske’s Great Race safety car controversy.
DJR Team Penske copped a $250,000 fine and was deducted 300 championship points, while McLaughlin’s teammate Fabian Coulthard was relegated from sixth to last in the Bathurst results for their “go slow” safety car tactics at Mount Panorama.
McLaughlin can clinch the 2019 series in Saturday’s opening race if he places in the top three and nearest title rival van Gisbergen fails to finish – a real possibility on the concrete wall-lined Gold Coast track that has no margin for error.
But it appears there is some homework to do overnight if McLaughlin is to seal successive Supercars titles on the Gold Coast after battling to threaten the top five in practice.
Qualifying for the Gold Coast 600’s opening race starts at 9:40am on Saturday.