Toowoomba’s Will Brown (No. 9 Coca-Cola Chevrolet Camaro) led the opening practice session of the 2023 Repco Bathurst 1000 with a lap of 2.05.9653, in the first competitive outing for the Gen3 Supercars at Mount Panorama.
This weekend marks the 60th anniversary of the Bathurst 1000, first held as a 500-mile enduro in 1963.
Tens of thousands of fans have already packed the Mountain ahead of the first day of on-track action at Bathurst, with throngs of campers arriving as early as last week.
Kiwi Matt Payne (No. 19 Penrite Ford Mustang) was just seven one-thousandths of a second behind 25-year old Brown in Practice 1, posting the second quickest lap of the session.
Brown’s teammate and championship leader Brodie Kostecki (No. 99 Coca-Cola Chevrolet Camaro) was third, with Ford stars Chaz Mostert (No. 25 Mobil 1 Optus Ford Mustang) and David Reynolds (No. 26 Penrite Ford Mustang) rounding out the top five.
Reigning Bathurst 1000 winner Shane van Gisbergen (No. 97 Red Bull Ampol Chevrolet Camaro) was only 15th in the opening session, though many teams were known to be focusing on long runs rather than single-lap pace.
The Repco Supercars Championship is back in action this afternoon with Practice 2 taking place from 4:50 p.m. AEDT.
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