Ford’s Fabian Coulthard has kept his cool in sweltering conditions to finish fastest in the final practice session before qualifying for the Supercars opening round in Adelaide.
Coulthard has clocked one minute, 20:11 seconds to finish ahead of Ford teammate and defending series champion Scott McLaughlin.
Seven-time series winner Jamie Whincup of Holden was third fastest.
Coulthard iced Friday’s practice as temperatures soared past 40 degrees trackside and up to 70 inside the cars.
Drivers wore mandatory cool suits and helmet fans and loaded up on slushies before the 30-minute practice session to try to beat the heat.
The Supercars’ chief medical officer had access to all of the team radios to monitor drivers.
All drivers emerged unscathed but the soaring temperatures at one stage claimed Chaz Mostert’s Mustang which experienced electrical problems due to the extreme conditions.
The same high temperatures are forecast for Saturday.
But Coulthard’s DJR Team Penske had no complaints despite the heat.
All eyes in Adelaide are on the Mustangs which have replaced Falcons this season in all six Ford teams.
It marks the first time since 1990 that Mustangs have been sighted on the grid.
And so far, they have delivered. Coulthard and McLaughlin went one-two at final practice before the 20-minute qualifying session starts at 6:55pm (AEDT).
It was also a shot in the arm for Coulthard, already under pressure to keep his seat beside McLaughlin after finishing last season a disappointing ninth overall.
There has been speculation that Mostert will replace Coulthard in 2020 at DJR Team Penske.
« I just needed to get some confidence back. Now I need to deliver when it counts, » Coulthard said.
Whincup’s Holden teammate Shane van Gisbergen was a disappointing 12th at final practice.
Van Gisbergen is aiming to become the first driver to win five-straight races on Adelaide’s tough 3.2km street circuit.
And former series champion Mark Winterbottom surprisingly finished last in the 24-strong field.
Winterbottom is contesting his first event as a Holden driver after 13 seasons with Ford.
A 250km race will be held on Saturday and Sunday.
http://www.espn.com/v8-supercars/story/_/id/26108354/fabian-coulthard-tops-supercars-practice
