MEDIA RELEASE/Brad Jones Racing - Photos: Velocity Magazine There’s some work to do overnight for…
CHAMPAGNE SPRAY LIFTS DE PASQUALE INTO CHAMPIONSHIP TOP FIVE
MEDIA RELEASE/Team 18 – Photos: Velocity Magazine
Team 18 bounced back in style on Saturday at the NTI Townsville 500, with Cub Cadet Racing’s Anton De Pasquale charging from 11th on the grid to finish second in one of the standout drives of the season.
After narrowly missing the Top Ten Shootout by just 0.0015s earlier in the day, De Pasquale and showed strong race pace with a bold strategy to secure the team’s fourth podium of the season.
Team 18 extended De Pasquale’s opening stint until Lap 30, nine laps longer than race leaders Matthew Payne and Brodie Kostecki, allowing him to make full use of clean air before stopping. A string of fast laps saw him emerge fifth once the pit cycle played out before he picked off rivals with a series of decisive overtaking moves at Turn 11 to climb into second.
The strategy was repeated during the second stint, with De Pasquale again running long before stopping on Lap 50. Rejoining fourth, he once more carved his way through the field to reclaim second place, ultimately finishing 15.2 seconds behind race winner Payne.
The result marks De Pasquale’s third podium of the season and lifts him to fifth in the Repco Supercars Championship standings, moving ahead of Kai Allen.
Earlier in the day, De Pasquale had narrowly missed a place in the Top Ten Shootout, posting a lap of 1:13.4137 to qualify 11th, just 0.0015s shy of Mostert in 10th after another incredibly competitive qualifying session.
On the other side of the garage, Snowy River Racing’s David Reynolds continued Team 18’s improved form from Friday afternoon. After qualifying 16th with a 1:13.5750, the Snowy River Racing driver overcame a fuel delay during his opening pit stop to deliver a clean, measured drive to 10th, giving Team 18 both Camaros inside the top 10 by the chequered flag.
Team 18 returns to the Reid Park Street Circuit on Sunday for Qualifying at 11:25am AEST, the Top Ten Shootout at 12:10pm, before the final 200km race of the Townsville 500 gets underway at 3:05pm AEST. All the action can be viewed line on Channel 7, Fox Sports and Kayo.
Anton De Pasquale, driver – #18 Cub Cadet Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Qualifying – Race 21: P11 (1:13.4137)
Race 21: P2 (Fastest Lap: 1:14.6699)
“A good day for us today. We didn’t quite have the speed in qualifying and just missed out on the Shootout, but the race car was really strong.
“We had a great strategy, got a bit of tyre overlap on everyone and the car looked after its tyres really well in the longer stints. That gave me the chance to drive through the field and get back onto the podium, so it was a really positive result and hopefully we can do it again.”
David Reynolds, driver – #20 Snowy River Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Qualifying – Race 21: P16 (1:13.5750)
Race 21: P10 (Fastest Lap: 1:15.0291)
“Today was definitely a step forward. We qualified 16th and probably left a couple of spots on the table. We just didn’t quite get the tyre phasing right in qualifying, with the fronts taking a little while to come in before the rears dropped away.”
“The race was much better. I didn’t get the best start, but I had a really strong opening lap and made up a couple of positions. The car looked after its tyres really well through the first two stints and we had good pace all afternoon.
“We lost a little bit of time in the pits and the final stint wasn’t quite as strong, but coming home in 10th was a solid improvement on yesterday. There’s still a bit more to find, but we’ve definitely moved in the right direction.”
Sunday 12 July Schedule
11:25am, Qualifying Part 1 – Race 22 (12 mins)
11:45am, Qualifying Part 2 – Race 22 (12 mins)
12:10pm, Qualifying Part 3 – Top Ten Shootout (35 mins)
3:05pm, Race 22 – 200km (68 laps)
A BIG thank you to our Photo Sponsors for this round in MND Victoria.
SUBSCRIBE TO VELOCITY MAGAZINE OR READ OUR MAGAZINE ONLINE HERE
For all our news keep your eyes peeled on the Velocity Magazine website and social media, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for our daily updates and to get the latest edition of our glossy magazine subscribe here from just $55 for 12 months subscription.
GET OUR LATEST ISSUE NUMBER 58 HERE
Related Posts
This Post Has 0 Comments