Analysis of Sandown 500 Practice Sessions: Key Observations

The Sandown 500, a pivotal event in the Supercars Championship, witnessed three significant practice runs during Friday’s pre-race activities. These sessions offered crucial insights into the potential outcomes and strategies for the upcoming race.

During the co-driver-focused Practice 2, notable performances were observed from the Ford Mustangs driven by Tony D’Alberto of Dick Johnson Racing (#11), Lee Holdsworth of Walkinshaw Andretti United (#25), and Fabian Coulthard (WAU #2). Remarkably, all three drivers completed the thirty-minute practice without making pit stops, which was an unusual feat across the day’s three practice sessions.

The data gathered from these uninterrupted runs provide a clean and valuable analysis opportunity. Among the drivers, Lee Holdsworth’s consistent race pace stood out. In contrast, Tony D’Alberto adopted a more conservative approach, resulting in less performance degradation over his stint compared to others.

A comparative analysis of the first and last five flying laps for these drivers, excluding the initial three laps of Practice 2 affected by a Full Course Yellow trial, shows varying trends in lap-time drop-offs. D’Alberto showcased a drop-off rate of 0.0428 seconds per lap, while Coulthard’s was slightly higher at 0.0690 seconds per lap.

This decline in performance is crucial for race-day strategy, especially when considering the previous year’s performance, where the winning car driven by Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup managed a longest single stint of 40 laps. A 40-lap stint at D’Alberto’s degradation rate would result in a cumulative performance loss of 33.384 seconds, whereas Coulthard’s decline would culminate in 53.820 seconds.

The race comprises 161 laps, and the accumulated effects of lap-time deterioration will significantly influence pit stop strategies and overall race performance. With Practice 4 scheduled to begin today at 9:55am AEST, teams will focus on refining their strategies based on these insights.