The 2026 Supercars campaign moved a step closer on Wednesday as all 24 entries rolled out at Sydney Motorsport Park for the opening leg of the annual pre-season test.
Running exclusively on the shorter 2.8km Druitt layout between 8:30am and 12:30pm local time, teams were afforded four hours to stretch the legs of their new-season machinery before attention shifts to Thursday night’s full 3.9km Gardner Circuit session.
By the time the chequered flag fell on the morning hit-out, it was reigning 2024 champion Will Brown who set the benchmark. The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver delivered a 1:00.3458s lap in the #888 Ford, a time that stood firm through a busy final hour that featured practice starts and pit stop rehearsals.
Brown’s effort placed him 0.1622 seconds clear of Penrite Racing’s Matt Payne, the Bathurst winner once again underlining his pace as Ford squads filled the upper reaches of the timesheets.
Matt Stone Racing rookie Zach Bates impressed in third, flying the Chevrolet flag and finishing just over a quarter of a second shy of the outright pace after racking up a class-high 83 laps.
Much of the closing hour resembled race conditions, with pit crews drilling fuel-churn stops in a live-lane environment. Refuelling towers will only reappear later in the year during the endurance events and finals, meaning churn practice is critical until the sprint phase concludes at Ipswich in August.
The morning was not without interruption. Three separate red flags were required to clear debris from the circuit, while a designated block of running was set aside for practice starts.
Although several teams rotated co-drivers through their cars, all times were officially logged against primary drivers, leaving the leaderboard an imperfect reflection of true form given the mix of tyre strategies and experimentation, particularly through the link road chicane, where track limits proved a talking point.
Behind the top three, Blanchard Racing Team and PremiAir Racing each placed both entries in the top 10, signalling encouraging early speed from their Mustang and Camaro packages.
James Golding rebounded from a dramatic airborne moment to secure fourth in his first outing with BRT, while PremiAir rookie Jayden Ojeda slotted into fifth. Anton De Pasquale ended the session sixth for Team 18 in its new role as Chevrolet homologation squad.
While Ford and Chevrolet runners traded blows at the front, Toyota’s five Supras endured a quieter introduction as preparations continued for their formal Supercars debut later in the week. Reigning champion Chaz Mostert emerged as the leading Supra in 16th with a 1:01.1100s best, completing 46 laps — the most of the Toyota contingent but still well down on the session’s highest lap counts.
Teammate Ryan Wood concluded the morning 19th, while the Brad Jones Racing trio of Macauley Jones, Andre Heimgartner and Cam Hill filled 20th, 22nd and 24th respectively. Heimgartner’s #8 R&J-backed entry logged just 28 laps, the fewest of any car after electrical issues kept the Kiwi in the garage for extended periods before he returned for a short final stint.
Interestingly, Brown’s teammate Broc Feeney proved the most industrious driver of the morning, circulating 89 times around the Druitt circuit. Despite the mileage, he wound up 15th, one place ahead of Mostert on a 1:01.1078s best.
With variables such as tyre allocation, fuel loads and experimental set-ups all in play, the pecking order remains far from definitive. However, Brown’s late-session strike ensured the defending champion heads into the second and final segment of the test with early bragging rights.
All 24 cars will return to the track on Thursday evening, tackling the full Gardner layout from 5:30pm through to 9:30pm local time under lights — the final opportunity for teams to fine-tune before the 2026 season kicks off.
Header Image: Red Bull Ampol Racing
