Practice
Free practice began on Thursday 9 October when three sessions were held. The first session, (in which the top 15 placegetters from the 2007 V8Supercar Championship Series are not allowed to take part), was topped by Warren Luff in the second Jim Beam Racing Falcon with a 2:10.7158 ahead of Tony D'Alberto in the Rod Nash Racing Commodore and Alex Davison in the Glenfords Racing Falcon.
Garth Tander topped the second session, recording a 2:09.3700 in the Holden Racing Team Commodore ahead of Craig Lowndes in the Team Vodafone Falcon and Greg Murphy in the Sprint Gas Racing Commodore. Jason Bargwanna continued D'Alberto's form from the first session to be fourth fastest in a session marred by a crash for Jack Perkins who backed the Jack Daniel's Racing Commodore into the wall across the top of the Mountain, putting the car out of action for the day.
A second red flag emerged in the longest third session, for the Sprint Gas Racing Commodore shared by Mark Noske and Dale Wood. After the resumption Jamie Whincup recorded the fastest time of the day, a 2:07.5975 in the Team Vodafone Falcon, to be two hundredths quicker than Greg Murphy (Sprint Gas Racing Commodore). Mark Winterbottom was third fastest for Ford Performance Racing ahead of Rick Kelly (HSV Dealer Team Commodore), Russell Ingall (Supercheap Auto Racing), Steve Owen (Jim Beam Racing), Paul Dumbrell (HSV Dealer Team), Lee Holdsworth (Garry Rogers Motorsport), Shane Van Gisbergen (Stone Brothers Racing) with Garth Tander completing the top ten fastest cars.
In the first practice session on Friday morning a major accident occurred at Sulman Park when Chris Pither struck a stationary Paul Weel. Weel had to be cut from the wreckage, but neither driver was seriously hurt. Both cars were withdrawn suffering from extensive damage. With both cars belonging to single car teams, Paul Weel Racing and Team Kiwi Racing appeared to be eliminated from the meeting. However the Team Kiwi Falcon was repaired and did in fact start in Sunday's race.
Garth Tander topped the morning's practice sessions with a 2:06.9922, with Jamie Whincup recording a 2:07.1371 in the second Friday session. Combined times saw Craig Lowndes third fastest ahead of James Courtney, Jason Richards, Steve Owen, Greg Murphy, Will Davison, Steven Richards all under 2:08 with Mark Winterbottom completing the fastest ten drivers.
In Saturday morning practice Jason Richards recorded the fastest lap of the weekend, a 2:06.9076. Paul Radisich had a major accident at McPhillamy Park Corner when a stuck throttle pushed the HSV Dealer Team Commodore into the wall. Radisich broke his right ankle in the accident. The car sustained heavy damage and was subsequently withdrawn. Later in the day it was announced that David Reynolds would step out of his drive in the second HSV Dealer Team Commodore in order to allow Rick Kelly to start the race.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
Famous quotes containing the word practice:
“As an example of just how useless these philosophers are for any practice in life there is Socrates himself, the one and only wise man, according to the Delphic Oracle. Whenever he tried to do anything in public he had to break off amid general laughter. While he was philosophizing about clouds and ideas, measuring a flea’s foot and marveling at a midge’s humming, he learned nothing about the affairs of ordinary life.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)
“Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“My paternal grandmother would not light a fire on the Sabbath and piled all Sunday’s washing-up in a bucket, to be dealt with on Monday morning, because the Sabbath was a day of rest—a practice that made my paternal grandfather, the village atheist, as mad as fire. Nevertheless, he willed five quid to the minister, just to be on the safe side.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)