TEAM 18 AIMS TO FINISH SPRINT CUP ON A HIGH IN IPSWICH

MEDIA RELEASE/Team 18 – Photos: Velocity Magazine

Team 18 will look to continue its recent run of strong form when the Repco Supercars Championship heads to Queensland Raceway for this weekend’s Century Batteries Ipswich Super440.

The team arrives in Ipswich with plenty of momentum after securing two podium finishes at the Perth Super440, extending its podium streak to five consecutive events across Tasmania, Darwin, Townsville and Perth.

DEWALT Racing’s Anton De Pasquale produced two impressive drives through the field at Wanneroo Raceway to finish on the podium twice and place fourth overall for the round. De Pasquale remains sixth in the championship standings and will aim to break into the top five during the final round of the Sprint Cup.

After completing a GM driver academy in the United States between events, De Pasquale will return directly to Australia ahead of the opening practice sessions at Queensland Raceway on Friday.

Snowy River Racing’s David Reynolds also heads to Ipswich encouraged by a ninth-place finish in the final race in Perth. With the Finals approaching, Reynolds will continue his push for consistent top-10 results and valuable championship points.

The Ipswich weekend will also mark an important milestone for Team 18, which will expand to three cars for the first time as Bayley Hall makes his Supercars debut in the No. 15 Supercheap Auto Racing wildcard Camaro. Hall will race solo in Ipswich before being joined by seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Lowndes for The Bend and Bathurst endurance events.

Team 18 showed strong speed at Queensland Raceway last season, with both cars featuring near the top of the timesheets across the weekend. The team will look to build on the lessons learned during that event as it returns to the compact 3.12-kilometre circuit.

Retaining the same format used in Perth, the Century Batteries Ipswich Super440 will begin with two practice sessions on Friday. Saturday will feature two qualifying sessions and a pair of 39-lap, 120-kilometre sprint races, before Sunday’s Top Ten Shootout and 62-lap, 200-kilometre finale.

All the action will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo.

Anton De Pasquale, Driver – No. 18 DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“It’s been a pretty non-stop couple of weeks. I went almost straight from Perth to the US for the GM trip and have come back ready to head to Ipswich, so I’m looking forward to jumping back in the car.

“It was great to come away from Perth with a couple of podiums and continue the momentum we’ve been building. We were really quick at Queensland Raceway last year on both tyres and had both cars sitting first and second in the Super Soft qualifying session before the rain arrived.

“We learned some good lessons there that helped us move forward, so hopefully we can return with an even stronger package this weekend.

“It’s the final round of the Sprint Cup, so we want to finish it on a high. We’re currently sixth, and it would be great to move into the top five and carry that momentum into the enduros.”

David Reynolds, Driver – No. 20 Snowy River Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“It’s a big week for the team with the race weekend followed by a test day and ride day, so there’s plenty happening at Queensland Raceway.

“It’s a simple layout, which means the lap times are always extremely close and the racing can be really intense. There are a couple of high-speed corners, but most of the lap is made up of slower-speed sections, so getting all the little details right will be important.

“We showed good potential there last year. Anton and I were first and second on the Super Soft tyre before the rain arrived in the final session, so we know the pace was there.

“It’s also the regular test track for many of the Queensland-based teams, so the competition will be strong and it’s going to be a full-on weekend.”

SCHEDULE
2026 Century Batteries Ipswich Super440
All Times AEST

Friday 21 August
2:40pm, Practice 1 (30 mins)
3:30pm, Practice 2 (30 mins)

Saturday 22 August
10:00am, Qualifying – Race 26 (28 mins)
10:50am, Qualifying – Race 27 (28 mins)
12:45pm, Race 26 (39 laps/120km)
4:15pm, Race 27 (39 laps/120km)

Sunday 23 August
10:55am, Qualifying – Race 28 (32 mins)
11:40am, Top Ten Shootout – Race 28 (35 mins)
3:20pm, Race 28 (62 laps/200km)

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