Defending series champion Scott McLaughlin has hit back to finish fastest in practice ahead of qualifying for the Supercars opening round in Adelaide.

The Ford gun appeared off the pace after experiencing power steering problems in his new Mustang in Friday’s opening practice session, finishing a distant 12th.

But McLaughlin’s mechanics worked overtime to ensure the Kiwi came out swinging early on Saturday, topping the second practice session ahead of Holden rivals Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen in a lap time of one minute 20.39 seconds.