MOTORSPORT: Slade on top, Mostert third

New recruit Tim Slade topped the times for Brad Jones Racing at yesterday’s Winton test for southern states V8 Supercar teams, but it was Ford star Chaz Mostert who attracted most attention by setting third fastest time in his first hit-out since a horrendous accident at Bathurst last October.

Slade set his best time in his new Freightliner Holden Commodore VF on a brand-new surface using worn soft tyres in the cooler early part of the day and was never headed for the rest of the test.

James Courtney made up for dinging the nose of his new Holden Racing Team Commodore in the turn two wall by setting second fastest time late in the day.

Mostert, who was making his debut in the colors of Supercheap Auto, also improved late in his brand-new Falcon FG X.

His rookie teammate Cameron Waters ended up fourth in his Falcon, while Slade’s teammate Jason Bright (BOC Commodore) rounded out the top five on a day in which 16 main game and 11 Dunlop development series cars tested.

Carsales Racing’s Todd Kelly was seventh in his Nissan Altima while 2015 champion Mark Winterbottom was eighth in his Bottle-O Falcon.

The V8 teams now set themselves for the championship-opening Clipsal 500 in less than two weeks.

"Great test day today,” said Mostert, who broke his left leg and wrist in a horrifying qualifying crash for the Supercheap Auto 1000. “I did some OK times.”

“I feel great in the car, I feel pretty comfortable in there, it's just like the old one. The body held up really well today.

“Super-pumped for Clipsal, I can't wait to get there; it's always a great event.

“The team has done an awesome job in the off season preparing another brand-new car. I'm looking forward to going there in some new colours with Supercheap Auto Racing. I can't wait to get out there.”

Meanwhile, Slade has made the jump to BJR from Walkinshaw Racing where he raced a Supercheap Auto-backed Commodore for the last two years.

“Fortunately I haven’t had to change my driving style too much to adjust to this car, so that was nice,” Slade told v8supercars.com.au.

“It was a really enjoyable day – other than being 8000 degrees!

Slade completed the most running of all drivers, clocking 130 laps throughout the day.

“The car was really good all day,” he said.

“Even though the track was super hot and it was hard to get a read lap-time wise on the changes, it was still reacting positively to the changes, so we could get a read.”

The testing schedule will be completed at Winton on Thursday when new Erebus Motorsport drivers David Reynolds and rookie Aaren Russell sample their ex-Walkinshaw Commodores for the first time and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport drivers Nick Percat and Andre Heimgartner also hit the track.

Queensland teams tested last week at Ipswich with DJR Team Penske topping the times.