Supercars star Thomas Randle has wasted no time laying down a marker, putting the Race for a Cure / Thryv BMW M2 Competition on top in the opening practice session for the 2026 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.
Randle’s 2:22.32 flyer came early in the second half of the split session, giving the #92 BMW outright honours and leading the Class X charge in a clean, drama free hit out.
The returning Chevrolet Camaro of Chris Lillis, Zach Bates and Josh Muggleton slotted into second, just four tenths off the benchmark in what was the quickest Production Car lap yet for the Camaro package.
BMW continued to dominate the front of the field, with Simon Hodges and Jayden Ojeda securing third, while the leading Ford Mustang driven by Bryce Fullwood alongside Cooper Barnes and Trent Whyte claimed fourth and second in Class A2.
Rounding out the top five were Beric Lynton, Tim Leahey and Will Davison, as the early BMW vs Mustang battle began to take shape across the Mountain.
Further down the order, Tony Alford, Kyle Alford and Tim Slade continued the Mustang presence in sixth, ahead of a tightly packed midfield dominated by A2 runners, including Keith Kassulke, Tyler Mecklem and defending class winners Aaron and Jason Gomersall.
The Class X HSV GTS of Brock Giblin and Brandon Madden completed the top 10, while in Class A1, the VW Golf of Cem Yucel and Iain Salteri set the early benchmark.
Earlier in the session, the lower classes took to Mount Panorama in the opening 40-minute segment, where Tony Virag’s late 2:30.54 lap powered his HSV Commodore to the fastest time in Class B2.
Team Buccini’s BMW led Class B1, while Trevor and James Keene topped Class C in their VW Golf R. The BMW entry of Andrew McMaster, Michael Hazelton and Richard Buttrose controlled Class D, and the Honda Accord Euro of Greg Boyle and Brett Stevens set the pace in Class E.
With times already in the low 2:22 range, the tone is set and the BMW vs V8 fight is well and truly on heading deeper into the Bathurst weekend.
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