The 2026 Supercars competitors completed a four-hour session on Wednesday morning at Sydney’s Druitt loop, preparing for the night segment on the full circuit planned for Thursday. Will Brown set the pace with a fastest lap time of 1:00.3458, edging out Matt Payne from Grove Racing Ford by 0.1622 seconds, while rookie Zach Bates impressed in the third fastest time representing Matt Stone Racing and Chevrolet.
Toyota Entrants Face Challenges in Morning Session
Toyota drivers struggled during the early running, with Walkinshaw TWG Racing’s defending champion Chaz Mostert leading Supra efforts only in 16th position. His teammate Ryan Wood placed 19th. Brad Jones Racing’s trio of Macauley Jones, Andre Heimgartner, and Cam Hill completed the timesheet at 20th, 22nd, and 24th respectively. The #8 R&J entry, driven by Heimgartner, managed just 28 laps due to extended garage time addressing an electrical problem.
Toyota Lap Counts Lag Behind Leading Competitors
Mostert achieved the highest number of laps among the Supras with 46, which still fell well short of Broc Feeney’s 89 laps, who secured 15th fastest in the field. The session showed varied performances from the Toyotas but it remains difficult to draw broad conclusions from overall results because teams ran different tire compounds and driver lineups, alongside ongoing investigations into possible track limit breaches at the short circuit’s link road chicane.
Session Details and Upcoming Night Practice
Despite some teams allowing co-drivers track time, all recorded lap times were attributed to primary drivers. The track action experienced three separate red flags caused by debris clearance, and included allocated time for practice starts. The second part of the test is scheduled to begin at 5:30pm, continuing into the night and concluding at 9:30pm ahead of the main event weekend.
Significance of the Sydney Test for Teams and Drivers
This opening test at Sydney’s Druitt loop provides valuable data for teams aiming to fine-tune setups ahead of the Repco Supercars Championship Destination New South Wales event. Will Brown’s strong showing highlights his form early in pre-season testing, while Toyota teams will look to resolve issues to close performance gaps. The upcoming night session may offer further insight into how the field is shaping up for the season ahead.
