Mostert lifts Holden spirits with practice win
THE Holden legend lived on in Adelaide yesterday with Chaz Mostert fighting off Ford to deliver the soon-to-be-extinct carmaker a practice win.
Four days after the closure of Holden was announced, Mostert eased some of the hurt by fending off Scott McLaughlin to clock the quickest time.
“I just wish it was qualifying instead of practice,’’ Mostert said. “But the car felt so good and I will take it.”
In his first season in a Commodore after defecting from Ford, Mostert blasted a 1:19.24 lap to show there is still hope for Holden.
“I am still trying to learn the car,” Mostert said.
“It feels so much different.’’ Holden set up a great day in Adelaide early yesterday afternoon when Shane van Gisbergen edged out Will Davison’s Mustang to win practice two.
Making it two from two after Dave Reynolds went quickest in the opening session, van Gisbergen clocked 1.19.80 in his Red Bull.
Davison survived a brake lock-up scare to finish the fastest Ford. “It was one of those sessions where we were on a used tyre,’’ he said. “I was just pushing the limits, made an error, went into the gravel.’’
Unlike Davison, Scott Pye was unable to make it back from a crash that prematurely ended the session.
“I just went into the apex and the front-right broke,” Pye said. “It turned hard left and I missed that tyre wall and hit the concrete wall pretty hard.’’
A broken shock absorber was later blamed for the crash that prevented Pye from taking part in practice session three.