Chaz Mostert has set the pace early at the Perth SuperSprint, going fastest in the conservative first practice session.
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Mostert led from the start to notch a lap time of 55.09 seconds to finish ahead of Nick Percat (Matt Stone Racing) and James Courtney (Blanchard Racing Team) in Friday's session at Wanneroo Raceway.
Championship leader Will Brown was notably missing from the top three, with the Triple Eight team opting to test their weekend tyre strategy instead of going full throttle.
With seven corners over 2.5km, tough temperatures and surrounded by sand, the West Australian track is notorious for high tyre degradation.
Brown finished 18th, with teammate Broc Feeney sixth.
But Triple Eight weren't the only team out on the track focusing on managing tyre life, with in-form Penrite Racing drivers Matt Payne and Richie Stanaway finishing in 21st and 17th respectively.
Perth product and reigning champion Brodie Kostecki settled for seventh.
The red flag came out less than seven minutes into the session when Thomas Randle rolled to a stop near pit lane after a prop shaft failure.
Randle was able to return to the track and finish 20th.
A second red flag appeared with just two minutes left on the clock.
Matt Stone Racing driver Cam Hill swerved off-track after hitting the wall between turns, resulting in practice being cut short.
Hill had kept a steady pace to stay in second for most of the session before finishing eighth.
Qualifying for Saturday's race begins at 12.20pm (AWST), followed by race nine at 4.05pm.
Australian Associated Press
