Talbot beats Habul in first Bathurst Bronze practice

THE #22 Wash It Team MPC Audi remains on top of the time sheets, with Liam Talbot quickest in Practice 2 at the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour.

Just two hours after Kelvin van der Linde set the pace in opening practice, Talbot rolled out and ended up quickest in the first Bronze-only session of the weekend.

Talbot, the current Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia outright champion, was fastest with a 2:06.1193s.

However, two-time defending winner Kenny Habul brought the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG within 0.22s by session’s end.

On his 17th and final lap of the 40-minute session, Habul clocked a 2:06.3377s to put the #75 Mercedes in P2.

Only Habul was within a second of Talbot’s time, with Yasser Shah (#911 Porsche), Brad Schumacher (#2 Audi) and Justin McMillan (#48 Mercedes-AMG).

The #48 Mercedes opened proceedings on top with a 2:09.5608s before drivers set representative times. The car was shared by McMillan and Garth Walden, with a best time of 2:06.6862s.

Talbot managed to set the fastest time despite running into traffic at the Chase, before bowling a wide at Murray's Corner.

It was a bigger save for Bathurst local Schumacher and the #2 KFC Team MPC Audi, which was stuck in the garage for the majority of the session.

The R8 entry underwent a sensor change, with the sensor reportedly located in a tricky position, prolonging repairs. However, Schumacher was released onto the track for the final five minutes, and he duly set the fourth fastest time.

The second Free Practice session of the weekend, Practice 3, will see Pro drivers return to their cars from 1:30pm AEDT.