James Golding leads Practice 1 at Gold Coast 500

James Golding of the Blanchard Racing Team set the fastest time during Practice 1 at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500. Driving a Ford Mustang, Golding recorded a lap of 1m16.0169s on the damp Surfers Paradise street circuit, finishing 0.5088s ahead of Ryan Wood of Walkinshaw TWG Racing.

Conditions were slippery at the start of the 25-minute session due to recent rain, though the track improved as the session progressed. The session saw a red flag when Anton De Pasquale spun his Chevrolet Camaro at Turn 3, though he finished the session in 12th place. Other incidents included spins by Ryan Wood and contact with tyre bundles by Cameron Waters and newcomer Cooper Murray.

As the Supercars finals series begins, drivers face challenging weather forecasts with significant rainfall expected through the weekend. The championship standings are at stake, as only seven drivers will remain in contention for the title following the conclusion of the weekend's races.