Will Davison has posted the fastest ever lap recorded in a touring car at Melbourne’s Sandown Raceway at today’s Official V8 Supercar Test Day. The Ford Performance Racing driver took his #6 Trading Post entry around the circuit with a blistering time of 1:09.3230, more than three-tenths better than the previous lap record.
Davison finished the day’s running almost a quarter of a second faster than last year’s championship runner-up Craig Lowndes, with Lee Holdsworth, Todd Kelly and Jonathon Webb rounding out the top-five on the timesheets.
With the event marking the one and only opportunity for the 28-car field to size one another up ahead of the season-opening Clipsal 500 in early March, a sizeable crowd took advantage of free admission by visiting the circuit to check out the on-track action.
After a brief show hit the circuit in the morning, conditions generally improved before the clouds rolled back in to deposit another shower on the track at about 3:00pm. Conditions cleared again, and it was then that Davison posted his incredible effort in his Ford Falcon.
The event was also an important opportunity for newly-signed drivers to get more familiar with their new cars and team surroundings. Former Garry Rogers racer Lee Holdsworth showed that he has handled the switch to a Ford with great ease, finishing the day third-quickest with a fastest time that was also quicker than the track’s previous lap record.
Other newly-signed drivers who drove well included David Reynolds (seventh-fastest, Rod Nash Racing) and Steve Owen (tenth-fastest, Dick Johnson Racing), while Michael Patrizi made his return to the series, ending the day eleventh-quickest in his currently unsponsored Tekno Holden.
With the test session compulsory for all teams on the 2012 entry list, some outfits ran interim or plain livery schemes ahead of their official launch ceremonies. With Lucas Dumbrell Motorsports team still to officially announce its main driver, it secured Development Series driver Taz Douglas for the day, running a plain white livery on its Holden Commodore.
This year’s main driver line-up features at least two series debutants, and it was no great surprise to find them at the bottom of the timesheets while they feel their way in on their first outings. David Wall (Brad Jones Racing) finished the day 26th-fastest, while former DTM pilot Alexandre Prémat was slowest in his Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden.
V8 Supercars Sandown Pre-Season Test Session – Fastest Times:
Driver | Entry / Team | Result | Laps | ||
1. | Will Davison | ![]() |
Trading Post / Ford Performance Racing | 1:09.3230 | 117 |
2. | Craig Lowndes | ![]() |
Team Vodafone / Triple 8 Racing | + 0.2358 | 132 |
3. | Lee Holdsworth | ![]() |
Irwin Racing / Stone Brothers Racing | + 0.2566 | 99 |
4. | Todd Kelly | ![]() |
Jack Daniel’s / Kelly Racing | + 0.5004 | 79 |
5. | Jonathon Webb | ![]() |
Mother Energy Racing Team / Tekno | + 0.5346 | 91 |
6. | Garth Tander | ![]() |
TOLL / Holden Racing Team | + 0.6146 | 90 |
7. | David Reynolds | ![]() |
The Bottle-O Racing Team / Rod Nash | + 0.6323 | 123 |
8. | Tim Slade | ![]() |
Lucky 7 Racing / Stone Brothers Racing | + 0.6560 | 87 |
9. | Mark Winterbottom | ![]() |
Orrcon Steel / Ford Performance Racing | + 0.6641 | 123 |
10. | Steve Owen | ![]() |
VIP Petfoods / Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.7275 | 60 |
11. | Michael Patrizi | ![]() |
Tekno | + 0.7506 | 84 |
12. | James Moffat | ![]() |
Team Norton / Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.8441 | 88 |
13. | Shane van Gisbergen | ![]() |
SP Tools / Stone Brothers Racing | + 0.8653 | 80 |
14. | Dean Fiore | ![]() |
Jim Beam Racing / Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.8677 | 76 |
15. | James Courtney | ![]() |
TOLL / Holden Racing Team | + 0.8798 | 95 |
16. | Steven Johnson | ![]() |
Jim Beam Racing / Dick Johnson Racing | + 0.9296 | 58 |
17. | Jamie Whincup | ![]() |
Team Vodafone / Triple 8 Racing | + 1.1441 | 69 |
18. | Michael Caruso | ![]() |
Fujitsu Racing / Garry Rogers Motorsport | + 1.2034 | 63 |
19. | Jason Bright | ![]() |
Team BOC / Brad Jones Racing | + 1.2261 | 89 |
20. | Tony D’Alberto | ![]() |
Tony D’Alberto Racing | + 1.2697 | 54 |
21. | Russell Ingall | ![]() |
Supercheap Auto / Walkinshaw Racing | + 1.2707 | 98 |
22. | Taz Douglas | ![]() |
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport | + 1.4139 | 127 |
23. | Rick Kelly | ![]() |
Jack Daniel’s / Kelly Racing | + 1.5090 | 103 |
24. | Karl Reindler | ![]() |
Fair Dinkum Sheds / Kelly Racing | + 1.5530 | 108 |
25. | Fabian Coulthard | ![]() |
Lockwood Racing / Brad Jones Racing | + 1.6629 | 122 |
26. | David Wall | ![]() |
Wilson Security / Brad Jones Racing | + 1.7403 | 113 |
27. | Greg Murphy | ![]() |
Pepsi Max Crew / Kelly Racing | + 1.8434 | 109 |
28. | Alexandre Prémat | ![]() |
Fujitsu Racing / Garry Rogers Motorsport | + 2.1420 | 126 |
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Richard Bailey
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