Newcastle Supercars: Whincup sets Friday pace
Triple Eight's Jamie Whincup topped the second Friday practice session in Newcastle, shading Cam Waters by 0.005s.

The seven-time series champion needed two cracks on his final run, his first qualifying simulation ruined when he ran wide at Turn 11.
But his fresh Dunlop rubber was up for a second lap, Whincup pipping Tickford driver Waters by five-thousandths courtesy of a 1m10.317s.
"It's a tough little circuit and that's all part of the challenge," he said.
"My car didn't feel that flash then on good tyres, but it's clearly quick. I think we've got some work to do tomorrow, but for Practice 2, we'll take it.
"I think our drive is okay, we're just struggling with a bit of turn. We'll work on getting [the car] to turn through that change of direction a little bit faster.
"If we can do that, I think we'll improve for tomorrow."
Waters had set his time just seconds earlier, finally disposing long-time pacesetter Shane van Gisbergen off top spot.
Van Gisbergen hung on to third despite his lap coming much earlier in the session, followed by fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin and Erebus star David Reynolds.
That latter caused the only red flag in the half-hour session, a trip down the Turn 1 escape road followed by a comical attempt to find reverse gear and get going again.
"It's pretty embarrassing, isn't it?" he said. "I looked like a goose down there. I couldn't get reverse, I had to turn the car off. It's not my finest hour.
"I can't believe I'm a tenth off and I'm only fifth, it's very, very close. If I fix up Turn 1 I think we'll be further up the front. My car is not too bad, we just made a few adjustments then and there's more to come I think."
Mark Winterbottom and James Courtney were sixth and seventh, Fabian Coulthard, Todd Hazelwood and Lee Holdsworth completing the Top 10.
Super sub Warren Luff, meanwhile, was 21st fastest, the enduro regular making an unexpected appearance in place of Scott Pye, who was hospitalised with illness between sessions.
Practice 2 results:
Cla | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.317 | |
2 | | Ford Mustang GT | 1'10.322 | 0.005 |
3 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.377 | 0.060 |
4 | | Ford Mustang GT | 1'10.383 | 0.066 |
5 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.423 | 0.106 |
6 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.424 | 0.107 |
7 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.445 | 0.128 |
8 | | Ford Mustang GT | 1'10.447 | 0.130 |
9 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.528 | 0.211 |
10 | | Ford Mustang GT | 1'10.572 | 0.254 |
11 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.574 | 0.256 |
12 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.605 | 0.288 |
13 | | Ford Mustang GT | 1'10.632 | 0.314 |
14 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.694 | 0.377 |
15 | | Nissan Altima | 1'10.704 | 0.387 |
16 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.771 | 0.454 |
17 | | Nissan Altima | 1'10.824 | 0.506 |
18 | | Ford Mustang GT | 1'10.888 | 0.571 |
19 | | Nissan Altima | 1'10.905 | 0.588 |
20 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'10.920 | 0.602 |
21 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'11.068 | 0.751 |
22 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'11.102 | 0.785 |
23 | | Nissan Altima | 1'11.102 | 0.785 |
24 | | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'11.430 | 1.113 |
View full results |

Previous article
Pye hospitalised with illness
Next article
Instagram clash sparks Supercars intervention

About this article
Series | Supercars |
Event | Newcastle |
Sub-event | Practice 2 |
Drivers | Jamie Whincup |
Teams | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
Author | Andrew van Leeuwen |
Newcastle Supercars: Whincup sets Friday pace
Trending
Supershots Sandown
Supershots Bathurst
Sam Brabham drives BT-19 at Mount Panorama
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?
Why Supercars now needs a new "human salt harvester"
Scott McLaughlin has been a controversial figure in Supercars over the past few years but, as he heads off to a fresh challenge in IndyCar, the Australian tin-top series needs to find someone else to fill his drama-filled boots as the category enters a new era...
Why 2020 isn't McLaughlin's greatest title
Scott McLaughlin was quick to describe his third Supercars title as his best yet. But even though it didn't match the dramatic backstory of his 2018 triumph, there's a good reason for him wanting to control the narrative this time around.
Why a Bathurst finale is risky business for Supercars
The Bathurst Grand Final may provide Supercars its greatest spectacle yet – but there's a risk it will force the series to face a hard truth.
Why Scott McLaughlin must become an IndyCar driver
Scott McLaughlin, two-time and current Supercars champion, should have been making his NTT IndyCar Series debut for Team Penske at the GP of Indianapolis, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced a rescheduling that has put the brakes on his career switch. But David Malsher-Lopez explains why the New Zealander deserves this opportunity as soon as possible.
Tickford's 10-year wait for James Courtney
When the Supercars season resumes James Courtney will be a Tickford Racing driver – but it's not the first time the star driver has flirted with the famous Ford squad.