It was all about tenths today at Eastern Creek Raceway. Seeing the best Time Attack cars in the world in action was in itself an impressive spectacle but the real surprise came when everyone realized just how evenly matched the top cars really are. The Sierra Sierra Evo, driven by David Empringham took top spot by recording a 1:32:248 with… 

…Sasaki-san from Panspeed, seen here ready to head out of the pits, grabbing second position with a 1:32:454, just two tenths behind.

The Panspeed RX-7 managed to better its previous attempts during the afternoon session, as temperatures dropped slightly and menacing clouds began to move in. They pushed the Tomei/Cusco/Voltex Impreza…

 …down into third position where they stand with a very close 1:32:532. The forecasts are pointing to scattered showers throughout most part of tomorrow, the main day of the event. There might only be one chance to get a faster time…

 …which means teams with mechanical problems will have to get things right in one go. After the engine trouble they experienced yesterday the Cyber Evo/Garage HRS mechanics worked throughout the night and all of today to replace the engine in the Evo. As I type this they are down at the Halltech facility tuning the car on the dynamometer, hopefully able to extract the same performance as they had in the original engine from this replacement unit. In the meantime Tarzan has had a chance to get a feel for the track driving the Tomei Impreza, so if it all comes down to an all-or-nothing outing then he will be able to give it his best shot.

A blown head gasket ended up ruining High Octane's attempt for a hot lap…

…and like the Cyber Evo ended up spending the rest of the day in the pits getting fixed. They should be able to get everything back in working order ready for tomorrow's morning session.

Before any of the action got going out on the hilly Easter Creek circuit I made my way over to the scrutineering area at the bottom of the pits where cars participating in the Open and Clubsprint classes were lining up.

These are the kind of cars I was really looking forward to seeing, a great representation of the style…

…Australian enthusiasts go for. I quite liked this S2000, which was running a turbocharged F20, no doubt developing silly power. 

Their link with the authentic JDM way of doing things was very much evident…

…but to balance things out I also noticed a very unique take on some of the cars there, not to mention the odd Australian domestic creation. Gotta love the utes!

The JDM Honda guys back in Japan would be proud!

This very clean Laurel was one of the cars that participated in the drift exhibition at the end of the day. I was told it is powered by a tuned RB25 and the driver likes to drive it hard, making full use of the rev limiter.

This S15 was so clean and so "right" we are planning to take a closer look at it tomorrow. 

An example of Australian ingenuity! Big powerful modern engines in classics is always a win!

Not sure what kind of car this is but it looked so hot left there under the stairs in the paddock it would have been a pity not too take a shot or two.

As the action started I stole Rod's monster 400 mm tele and began my two hour hike through the infield. 

After the Clubsprint guys were done, the big boys came out to play and I was loving the extra reach the big glass provided. 

The R-Magic is currently a second off the pace of the Sierra Sierra but despite this it was looking very good in the hands of Kinoshita.

Casey managed to get this cool shot of one of the rear exhausts throwing out a nice flame.

This Wynn's Holden Commodre was out for a few demonstration laps braking the afternoon's silence with its screaming V8 motor.

The Donut King Super V8 Touring Car Commodore is part of the Pro class but not quite sure what times it managed to get. It didn't make it in the top 10.

Australians love their rotaries as much as the love their V8s!

Here is Warren Luff in the Prep'd Motorsport widebody Lotus Elise, a very fast car running about a second off the best lap set by the Sierra Sierra.

It's cool how you can get sneaky pictures with a over 700 mm of reach! Here is Peter Tarach having a chat with Casey.

The Panspeed team was very happy with the second fastest time they achieved today and will be trying hard to get the best out of the car tomorrow for the main event.

Will Sierra Sierra stay dominant on Saturday or will one of the Japanese or Australian cars managed to surprise us all?

It's going be one hell of a show that's for sure! 

-Dino Dalle Carbonare