Youngster dominates the fast lap

couple of years still under his previous agreement but both parties agreed we were committed for the long-term and this new two-plus-two-year deal works well for everyone involved.

“With Mark signed through until at least 2018 we have a secure driver line-up with two of the best out there.

“That gives a lot of confidence to our team and aids with attracting new investment, retaining our current partners and also recruiting. I am pretty sure our loyal fans will like it, too.”

A third seat at the allconquering team remains open for next year. A BRILLIANT car and onelap commitment paid off for Chaz Mostert at Queensland Raceway yesterday.

The youngster showed again that he knows how to get the best from his Pepsi Falcon as he was quickest in practice for the three races of the Ipswich SuperSprint.

After dominating the onelap runs in recent rounds, he clocked a best time of 1min 9.4881sec to better Tim Slade in a Commodore by 0.34sec.

Scott McLaughlin produced the third-quickest time in his Volvo. All five V8 Supercars brands were represented in the top 10, although Holden did best with three Commodores, including James Courtney in the factory car.

“The car is brilliant. We’re pretty happy,” Mostert said after the second of two practice sessions yesterday.

Like all the top-10 runners, he used soft-compound Dunlop tyres to set his fastest lap, although the race action will see drivers using both soft and hard-compound tyres through the weekend. The combination is certain to mix the racing and results, with most teams battling some sort of set-up challenge at the track nicknamed The Paperclip.

Championship leader Mark Winterbottom was only 16th in practice with the sister car to Mostert’s Falcon, and Jamie Whincup was 11th.