The stage was set for Ford Mustang's triumphant Supercars return in the season-opening round at Adelaide.
But Holden's Anton de Pasquale clearly didn't get the memo.
In just his second year of full-time racing, the young gun upstaged a stellar field to top Thursday's opening practice on the tough street circuit as defending champion Scott McLaughlin was left in his wake.
Ford's McLaughlin finished 12th fastest in an incident-riddled 30-minute session that featured three red flags after experiencing mechanical dramas.
All eyes were on the return of Mustangs which replaced Falcons for Ford teams this season, marking the first time they had been sighted on the grid since 1990.
But de Pasquale didn't follow the script, topping the timesheets with an impressive lap of one minute, 20:89 seconds in his Commodore ahead of Ford duo Lee Holdsworth and McLaughlin's teammate Fabian Coulthard.
While the Mustang still impressed, McLaughlin was the only driver in Ford's six-car contingent in the 24-strong field to miss the top 10 after suffering power steering problems.
McLaughlin's much-hyped Mustang came to a halt at turn 11 in just the 12th minute of the session, prompting one of the red flags.
Still, McLaughlin was philosophical ahead of Friday's qualifying session as he prepared to launch his title defence in earnest.
"Our car felt really good. We were on a race run there, just having a bit of a fun time," he said.
"But we just had a little bit of a problem then, engine-wise.
"(It was) was right up there, too (speed-wise). Overall, I'm stoked - just need to work on it overnight."
Coulthard's speed was a shot in the arm. He needed to start the year well with speculation already linking Chaz Mostert with his spot alongside McLaughlin at DJR Team Penske after finishing a distant ninth in last year's standings.
Holdsworth also received a confidence boost after switching this season from Holden to Ford flagship Tickford Racing, replacing Blue Oval great Mark Winterbottom.
Former series champion Winterbottom finished fifth fastest in his first stint in a Holden after 13 seasons with Ford.
Meanwhile, Holden guns Shane van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup will have some catching up to do on Friday.
After being pipped by only 71 points by McLaughlin for the 2018 championship, van Gisbergen was seventh fastest in practice with seven-time champion Whincup a distant 13th.
Share
