Brown On Top At Winton Supercars Test
Based on pre-season testing, Will Brown and Zane Goddard will sit on the front row of the grid for the Mount Panorama 500 in just over a week.
As if that will happen …
Even so, Brown completed a rookie rout of pre-season Supercars testing when he ran quickest of the 28 drivers that lapped in the Covid-delayed southern shoot-out at Winton, matching Goddard’s earlier effort at Queensland Raceway.
Goddard ran his quickest time at QR in the opening hours of the northern test in his first timed run for Matt Stone Racing and Brown did the same at Winton, clocking a lap at 1 minute 19.5089 seconds just after 10am, although Chaz Mostert got close despite the hotter conditions later in the day.
Brown was smiling after Erebus Motorsport also managed the fifth-quickest time through fellow main-game rookie, Brodie Kostecki.
Cam Waters, who is tipped for a serious shot at this year’s championship, was best of the Ford Mustangs but only sixth in his Monster machine for Tickford Racing.
“It’s always exciting to be fastest. I’ll take it,” Brown told Race News.
“We probably had a bit of an advantage coming out of our rookie day at Winton, but it was one of those days when everything in the team worked well. Brodie is driving good too, and we both like the car the same way.
“We changed a few things on the car on older tyres at the start, then we bolted-on brand-new Dunlops at 10.15 to go for it. I felt pretty confident with the car and the team.”
A total of 28 drivers clocked times at Winton as most teams gave their Bathurst co-drivers a hit through the day.
James Moffat was quickest of the co-driving crew with the 18th-fastest time in the Monster Mustang, managing a 1:20.8809, while David Russell was next and 20th overall with 1:21.0429 in an Erebus Commodore.
Although he ran second for the day, Mostert was happy with his pace in a new Commodore from Walkinshaw Andretti United.
“You want to go fast and make gains from last year, but today is all about the program. Plenty of laps,” Mostert said.
“You want to keep making improvements through the day. The lap time probably won’t show anything.
“It’s about trying to set up the car and get ready for Bathurst in less than a week. Overall, I’m really happy.”
There were no real surprises at Winton but Brown knows Bathurst will be a different challenge.
“We felt good before the day and it’s a confidence boost going to Bathurst. But we know Bathurst is a tough track for rookies to roll up and have a crack,” he said.
SUPERCARS TESTING
WINTON RACEWAY
- Will Brown, Commodore, 1:19.5089
- Chaz Mostert, Commodore, 1:20.0356
- David Reynolds, Mustang, 1:20.0714
- Scott Pye, Commodore, 1:20.0987
- Brodie Kostecki, Commodore, 1:20.1513
- Cam Waters, Mustang, 1:20.1946
- Bryce Fullwood, Commodore, 1:20.2753
- Nick Percat, Commodore, 1:20.3807
- Andre Heimgartner, Mustang, 1:20.4830
- James Courtney, Mustang, 1:20.4866.
