Le Brocq stuns field with late Practice 2 flyer

JACK Le Brocq has put Matt Stone Racing back on top with a superb last-ditch lap in final practice for the NTI Townsville 500.

All told, Le Brocq put 0.2470s on the field in a sign that his Darwin performance was no flash in the pan.

Practice 1 leader Will Brown was again competitive straight out of the blocks, his hold on top spot ending when Matt Payne banged in a 1:14.1906s with 25 minutes remaining.

There was a flurry of fast times in the next five minutes, Chaz Mostert lobbing into first moments before Andre Heimgartner set the quickest lap of the day yet, a 1:13.7691s.

That was the benchmark for a matter of seconds, Heimgartner demoted to second by his Brad Jones Racing teammate Bryce Fullwood (1:13.6790s).

As the field returned for a final crack before qualifying, Cam Waters and Shane van Gisbergen got close to Fullwood’s time but the Middy’s Camaro was only beaten after the chequered flag dropped.

That was by last-start race winner Le Brocq, with a stunning 1:13.4320s.

That time was just 0.0124s shy of the effort which topped Practice 2 last year – albeit still quite some way off Scott McLaughlin’s qualifying record of a 1:11.9908s from 2017.

The top 10 finished up: Le Brocq, Fullwood, Waters, van Gisbergen, Heimgartner, Brown, Scott Pye, Payne, Broc Feeney and James Courtney.

Brodie Kostecki, with a new steering rack after a Practice 1 scare, wasn’t able to cash in on his best lap, running off at Turn 3 after setting a purple first sector.

That left him 14th, just ahead of Mostert.

Main game action tomorrow starts with qualifying from 10:15am.

Results: Practice 2, 2023 NTI Townsville 500