The Red Bull Racing Holdens have sent a message to fast-rising Volvo by scorching the Symmons Plains circuit before the V8 Supercars round this weekend.
Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup put a quarter of a second between themselves and the rest of the field in Friday's practice sessions and look in ominous form.
With Scott McLaughlin's Volvo in sixth place, it's a reality check to those who had him pegged as a favourite to turn good form into a Tasmanian win.
Not that it's come as a surprise to Whincup.
"They're where I thought they would be," he said.
"They've done a good job ... but I don't regard them to do a better job than what we do or the (Ford Performance Racing) guys."
More than a decade out of the touring car championship, Volvo has impressed with a podium in Adelaide and then a win on grand prix weekend in a non-scoring round.
But after Friday's three practice sessions, McLaughlin was behind the two Red Bulls, Chaz Mostert, Shane van Gisbergen and Nick Percat.
The fastest Nissan was Michael Caruso in eighth, with Lee Holdsworth steering the quickest Mercedes to 10th.
Lowndes said a key issue facing the drivers would be the tyre temperature, with fresh Tasmanian temperatures and a lack of corners keeping tyres cool.
"The car is working really well. We've had three quick sessions," he said.
"It is harder out here to try and find a little bit of a gain with the few amount of corners ... it is a bit chilly, if it warms up, we can find a bit more pace."
In seven races so far this season, no podium has been without either Lowndes or Whincup, but Mostert impressed to sit third in his Tasmanian supercars debut.
With a couple of crashes under his belt since moving to Ford Performance Racing, Mostert can't wait to leave the congestion of practice and qualifying behind.
"It's a difficult track ... I'm looking forward to get out of qualifying and into the race so we don't catch the back of the field so quick and the danger factor will be gone."
Two 100-kilometre races on Saturday precede a 200km race on Sunday.
