SHELL V-Power Racing and Alex Premat returned to the top of the time sheets in practice two at the Bathurst 1000 on Thursday afternoon.
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Premat, who shares the #17 Shell Falcon with Scott McLaughlin, set a 2:35.18 in treacherous conditions that saw most take a very cautious approach throughout the co-driver only session.
It was much slower than the times he and McLaughlin set 12 months earlier.
The rain made driving difficult, with traction especially hard to find at the top of Mount Panorama.
However, all drivers exercised caution with the session going from lights to flag with no noticeable incidents.
Garry Jacobson, the co-driver for Rick Kelly in the #11 Castrol Nissan, said the aim was for comfort rather than outright speed in the difficult conditions.
“The main agenda today was to get comfortable,” he said.
“We could have done more laps, but I think we both felt pretty comfortable today after six laps each in the wet. We’re feeling good.”
Jacobson finished the session as runner-up, 0.6 seconds behind Premat. Earl Bamber, Dean Canto and Tony D’Alberto rounded out the top five.
Autobarn Lowndes Racing with Steven Richards recovered from a lacklustre practice one to finish in position nine and a great performance from Dale Wood saw the #21 Team CoodDrive entry in sixth.
Defending Bathurst 1000 champion Luke Youlden ranked eighth for Erebus Motorsport and practice one pacesetter, Milwaukee Racing, finished in 11th with Alex Davison behind the wheel.
Three drivers did not set any laps in the session, most notably Paul Dumbrell in the #1 Red Bull Holden Racing Team Commodore.