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Paddon on Top in Friday Practice at Sydney Motorsport Park



A FULL DAY of First Focus Radical Cup Australia Practice has drawn to a close at Sydney Motorsport Park. With rain on the forecast and expected to clear by early afternoon, Practice one was a damp affair, with times notably quicker in the two subsequent outings, with a thrilling Practice three going right down the wire.


The stage is set for an intense Qualifying session on Saturday morning, with three different drivers topping each of today's practice sessions. Ultimately, series leader Peter Paddon and the #31 First Focus Radical SR3 XXR set down the fastest lap of the day in the second session, a 1:29.6721, that would seal the deal and be one of only four entries below the 1minute 30second mark.


Hero Hoists Pro-Am Cup racers Terry Knowles and Bart Mawer also saw their fastest lap in Practice two as track conditions improved over the course of the day with a 1:29.8187 effort. However, it would be Cooper Cutts who took it to the last possible moment in Practice three to set the #16's best time of 1:29.8688.


Ash Samadi was the quickest of the Workhorse AM drivers in eighth in the combined practice runnings.




During the first session, Sydney-sider Mark Brame set the pace with a number of rapid-fire laps. 


Shaving almost two seconds off the previous fastest lap set by Paddon before a brief red-flag period, Brame reset the benchmark down again by the 25-minute mark amid the tricky track conditions.


Paddon was just two-tenths behind Brame, while Bryce Moore, who is running solo in today’s practice sessions with Arise Racing co-driver Chris Reindler also fielding a practice entry, rounded out the top three in practice one 1.2 seconds off the pace.



While the morning was spent navigating a wet and wild track, the session two times reflected a much drier, quicker track. This time, it was Paddon who would set the top time.


Paddon and the #68 entry of Terry Knowles / Bart Mawer took turns at the top of the timing sheet throughout the session, with the quickest of the West Aussies, Cooper Cutts, not far behind in third.



Practice three was interrupted early with a red flag, just moments after the #47 piloted by Josh Hunt went purple for the first time today. The green flag flew with seven minutes remaining and not one to be left out of the action, Paddon looked to be on to go two from three in today's runnings.


However, Hunt's name would again light up in purple before a last-minute flying dash from Cooper Cutts would seal the deal thanks to a 1:29.8688 with no time left on the clock - just 00.0185s in front of Hunt.



Round 4 of the 2024 First Focus Radical Australia Cup continues tomorrow with Qualifying the first session of the day at 8.45am (AEDT), followed by two 25-minute sprint races: Race one at 11.50am AEDT and Race two at 3.30pm AEDT.


Race three will be broadcast live on 7plus and 7mate/7two as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries ColorSpec Race Sydney.

©2023 Radical Cup Australia

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