Solid performance by DJR Team Penske at Winton SuperSprint practice
May 15, 2015
Winton, Victoria, 15.05.15: The PPG / Daikin colours were seen at Winton today for the first time aboard the DJR Team Penske Falcon FG X of Scott Pye. Two sixty minute practice sessions were run under clear skies, but cool conditions.
A late change to the tyre allocation saw all teams receive one set of new Dunlop ‘Hard' slicks that have to be used on Friday. The tyre is handed back at the end of practice then allocated back to the team's tyre bank for future use. A decision which was well received in Pit Lane.
The first session saw Scott Pye hovering just inside the Top 10 for much of sixty minute duration. He slipped to P12 as a few cars put in quick runs at the end. The car was on old tyres and both Pye and the team felt that it was the best the car had performed in a first practice in recent rounds
Later in the day, and with more rubber lad down on the tight and twisty track, all 25 cars would benefit from one brand new set of tyres plus many others were running the Dunlop ‘Soft' tyre from the team's bank. These factors saw the times tumble and once again Pye had the PPG / Daikin Falcon well up the field. Although a final finish of P15 was a little lower than session one, the team felt that it was a solid Friday performance.
Saturday reverts to the twin Qualifying sessions for the two 60 lap Sprints at Winton.
Scott Pye – No 17 PPG / Daikin DJR Team Penske Ford Falcon FG X
"Today was a promising start to the weekend. We definitely kept improving the PPG / Daikin Falcon today. We also rolled the car out with a good baseline set up, something we have chased a bit on Friday morning's.
"The car was good on the used tyre and so we have improved in a number of areas for sure. It is great to be able to get a brand new set for Friday. It means that Friday now counts for something. It is still a bit difficult to know where we are as there was mix of new tyres and softs on cars around us but overall I think this was positive start."